Current news available in St. Petersburg News Line

October 22, 2004
Bulgaria wants get access to charter market of Russia
Bulgaria asks Russia to provide “access to the of market air charter flights equal to the one Russian airlines have,” Sergey Naryshkin, head of the RF government staff, said commenting the results of his meeting in Sophia with vice-premier and transport minister of Bulgaria Nikolai Vasiliev. Today the tourist flow from Russia to Bulgaria is rather great. S. Naryshkin and N. Vasiliev have also discussed the project aimed at establishing direct ferryboat communication between Russia and Bulgaria.
Railways-Partner

October 21, 2004
Tour operators of St. Petersburg summarize results of the season
The St. Petersburg travel agencies establish a fact of a real rise in demand for package tours amongst foreign and Russian tourists. The duration of staying of foreigners in the northern capital and through-Internet sales volume as well as the number of individual tours have also increased. As to particular features of the just past season the travel firms remarked the increase in demand for river cruises which is limited by extreme shortage of comfortable motor ships. As before, St. Petersburg is a city that attracts mainly middle-aged and elderly people that have certain social benefits. Up to 80% of foreign visitants are pensioners.
RTH

October 21st, 2004
New transport corridor to link Scandinavia with Ural
The Regional Council of the Barents Euro-Arctic Region has approved the project on laying out a railway from Scandinavia to the Ural. The new transport corridor, Barents Link, will go across northern areas of Norway, Sweden and Finland and Karelia, Arkhangelsk Region, Komi Republic, Komi-Permyatsky Autonomous District and Perm Region. The trunk-railway of over 3 km length will connect the Norwegian port of Narvik with Perm city and assist in industrial development of out-of-the-way areas of the North-European Russia.
Regnum news agency

October 20th, 2004
Roads in Russia to be paid but high-quality
Speaking at the government session the RF transport minister Levitin said that “laying out the new fast motorway MoscowSt. Petersburg-Helsinki would be a powerful incentive to further development of the Moscow, Tver, Novgorod and Leningrad Regions, assist in rise of population mobility, creation of new working places, extend transport capacity of the international NorthSouth corridor and the sea port of St. Petersburg.”
Novosti News Agency of Russia

October 20th, 2004
Moscow to become largest mountain-skiing centre in Europe
Within the next few months construction of the largest in Europe mountain-skiing centre will start on Vorobiyovy Hills in Moscow. Independent on weather freaks, this all-the-year-round sports centre having 805-metre ski-track of 127-metre height differential will have the capacity to receive and conduct contests of the highest Olympic level. The track of 50 meters wide and covered with a tube-shape arch will run from Kosygina Street along the metro bridge across the Mosckva River to Luzhniki where a swimming pool, restaurant, shops of sport goods, skis rental agency, and fitness centre will be located. The metro station Vorobyovy Hills with direct exit to the complex is just nearby. Besides, right under the mountain-skiing track one more track for bobsleighs is planned to be built.
www.ski.ru

October 20th, 2004
Baltic largest hotel network comes to St. Petersburg
The leading hotel network of the Baltic countries, Reval Hotels, has taken a decision to build a four-star hotel in St. Petersburg. The opening is planned for 2006.
Regnum news agency

October 20th, 2004
Sakhalin Region allocates 5 million USD for construction of mountain-skiing centre
Authorities of the Sakhalin Region and Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk city have made their first joint working visit to the site where former tourist centre Mountain Air is being reconstructed. The officials inspected the road to the future sports complex and the east slope on Bolshevik Hill. According to the plan, within the next two years the sports complex will be adapted to mountain-skiing sport. On the south slope of Bolshevik Hill a new track will be laid out and a new elevator will be mounted there. The project is to be worked out as soon as a positive resolution of experts is ready. It is estimated that 5 million USD is required to do the whole work, the money will be allotted by the regional administration.
www.ski.ru

October 20, 2004
New image of tourist formed in Ekaterinburg
Europort, newly established specialized tour operator in Ekaterinburg, daughter enterprise of the Ural Airlines company, has entered the Ural market. This information was released to journalists at a news conference held in Ekaterinburg. The new company offers non-standard tours having some “zest” to France, Czech and Germany. All the tours arranged by the tour operator will be carried out on regular flights of Ural Airlines which will save tourists tiring travelling and transportation discomforts.
RTN

October 5th, 2004
Government of Russia supports activity of the Coordination Council
A regular session of the Coordination Committee on Tourism Industry Development in the Russian Federation, “Regions of Russia Moscow Agreement,” has been held in Moscow with participation of Vladimir Sibiryakov, head of the Tourism Department of the Federal Agency for Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism. In its sixth session the Council was added with new members: the Republic of Altai, Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Area, Krasnoyarsk Territory, Kaliningrad, Murmansk and Chelyabinsk Regions. Under the dynamic that has arisen in its extending the Coordination Committee is becoming a public agency on creation of the united tourist space in Russia.
www.tpnews.ru

October 4th, 2004
Agreements on simplifying visa regulation with Switzerland prepared
Russia and Switzerland are working out an agreement on simplifying the visa regulation. There is a good chance that the documents will be ready by the visit of Mishlin Calmy-Ray, head of the Federal Foreign Department of Switzerland, to Moscow that is set for late November. The matter concerns some groups of people businessmen, students, professors, and cultural workers. It is supposed that a simpler visa issuing procedure will be adopted and multiple visas issuing to businessmen will be valid for three-year period.
Novosti News Agency of Russia

October 1st, 2004
The Aurora to shine with Russian Flag colours
A light-dynamic show is planned to be performed daily on the Aurora legendary cruiser in St. Petersburg in 2005. It is supposed that 30-minute illumination from beneath will be some sort of attractive shining show. Light-dynamic system will be installed on the cruise rostrum and stem and three-colour floodlights (red, blue and white colours of the Russian Flag) on the three funnels. At the same time a film about the cruise history will be projected on the side of the cruiser.
Regions of Russia news agency

September 29th, 2004
High-technology device provides security in Domodedovo airport
The first model of the latest design facility Ionscan 400B capable of detecting explosives and drugs has been put into operation in Domodedovo international airport. The device is installed in the Russian inland lines special control area. Ionscan 400B is designed for express detection and identification of drug or explosive traces and allows the examiners to discover over 40 sorts of explosives or drugs for less than 10 seconds. The results of examination are immediately appeared on the screen.
www.tpnews.ru

September 28th, 2004
Old hotels to turn into modern spa-homes
The St Petersburg Tourism and Excursion Council has developed a programme on reconstruction of the hotels that belong to it and to turn them into spa-homes. During next 35 years five operating hotels the Repinskaya, Okhtinskaya, Losevskaya, Russ, and Nakhimovskaya will be reconstructed. Over 30 million USD is to be allotted for the purpose. The modernization of all the hotels implies extending of the room resources up to three thousand suites and creation of spa-homes equipped with swimming pools, baths, massage and beauty shops. Besides, tennis-courts are to be opened in the Repinskaya, Losevskaya and Nakhimovskaya Hotels. Implementation of the programme will start with the Repinskaya Hotel. After the reconstruction it will be a mid-class hotel with a mall of shops and six restaurants and sports facilities. Also there will be a yacht-club and a tourist village of five high-class cottages.
On the base of the tourist camp of Nakhimovskaya a country spa-home will be built, it will have a hillside for mountain skiing and a haven for sailing vessels.
Business Petersburg

September 25th, 2004
Two more hotels sold in St. Petersburg
For the share holdings of the Tourist and Yuzhnaya hotels the city was paid 192 million roubles. The both hotels were purchased the Business-City Hotel, JSC, which had been founded by Moscow investors intentionally to construct and manage a network of hotels in Petersburg and Moscow.
Business Petersburg

September 21st, 2004
Another mountain-skiing centre in South Ural
In the near future one more mountain-skiing centre may appear in the Chelyabinsk Region. The centre is supposed to be located in surroundings of the South Ural town of Satka. By its nature environment Satka is a unique spot, the only similar place is Krasnaya Polyana near Sochi (Krasnodar Territory). The sheer variety of mountainsides abundant there, height differentials and picturesque sceneries around dispose to mountain skiing and tourism. At the moment the project has been worked out. The expected cost of it is 70 million USD. At present a question of various sources of financing is being considered.
UralPressInform

September 20th, 2004
Traditional Russian souvenir, matryoshka, attract more foreigners to Semyonov
From now on travellers visiting Russian metropolis will be able to carry high-quality souvenirs as keepsakes with them. It is decided that a special expert council on the matter will be established in Moscow. Only manufactures of souvenirs approved by the council will be granted right to sell their products in the capital. The major selection criteria will be quality and adequacy with the image of the Russian main city. Besides, in the context of Russian Souvenir project a tourist trail through folk crafts centres has already been developed. The trail will start in Moscow with visiting the Russias Craft Centre fair. The next points of the tour will be Gus Khrustalny (glass and crystal), Semyonov (Khokhloma painting), Mstyora (lacquered miniature painting on papier- mвchй boxes and plates) and Skopin (pottery). Construction of hotels is also planned. The first one, the Golden Khokhloma, will appear in Semyonov as early as next year.
It is this town that is expected to be the most popular among foreign tourists due to the fact that brightly painted matryoshka (several wooden dolls nestled inside each other) is the best-known Russian souvenir abroad.
www.rbc.ru

September 20th, 2004
Moscow suburb believes in Provincial Ring
The project “Provincial Ring of Moscow Region” will, among others, be represented at the 3-d International Forum “Moscow Suburb: Leisure & Tourism” to be held at the International Exhibition Centre CrocusExpo on October 25. It is expected that the tour which covers such historical cities as Serpukhov, Mozhaisk, Volokolamsk, Klin, Dmitrov, Sergiev Posad, and Kolomna will become the most demanded and competitive tourist route in the Region. The thematic conference “Tourism as an Economic Branch of Moscow Region” will, perhaps, be a key event of the Forum in the context of which a fair-presentation of investment projects will be held. A seminar on inland tourism, master-class “Secrets of Treasures Hidden in Moscow Suburbs,” seminar on excursion arrangements, and sports clothes and camping outfit show, drawing a car and tour packages as an entertaining programme are also planned.
Podmoscovie news agency

September 19th, 2004
The number of tourist routes in Ural increases
Over 160 thousand people have visited nature reserves and historical places of the Mid Ural since the beginning of the year. The most attractive for tourists were Verkhotursky Museum-Reserve, Neviyanskaya Inclined Tower, Church-on-the-Blood on the spot of execution of the tsar family, monastery complex on Ganina Pit, and places associated with Bazhovs tales. Besides, for the last few years traditional tourist routes through the near-Polar Ural have been added with new ones which are associated with the Romanov Dynasty history, the Demidovs heritage, and peculiarities of mining development in Russia.
ITAR-TASS

August 30th, 2004
Some Duma deputies for setting up united airline
Valery Draganov, head of the Duma Committee on Economic Policy, Business and Tourism, holds that It would be rational to set up a single natural monopoly based on all Russian airlines. “On knowing about the tragedy in which two our planes crashed I came to a conclusion of the urgent necessity to amend our legislation in order to set up a united airline and have already started consulting on initiation of appropriate bills,” he said. It is Draganovs opinion that the united airline would have larger financial capacity to renew the air fleet in due time and to improve maintenance service of planes and flight management. “At present, in every region of Russia there are, besides large, a number of smaller local airlines, and it is unlikely that all of them have qualified maintenance staff, not to mention their financial capacities to purchase up-to-date equipment,” the deputy pointed out.
www.NewsProm.ru

August 27th, 2004
The City Day in a la France manner
On the Day of City which is to be celebrated in Moscow on September 45 Teatralnaya Ploshchad (Theatre Square) in Russias capital will turn into a true French village. Famous performers of French cabaret songs Alexander Cravero, Rudolf Burger and Nilda Fernandes and musical groups Suruah, Zebra and Jame will come to greet Moscow on the occasion of its 857-th anniversary. During the breaks between concerts the guests of the «village» will be able to visit the fair of French goods and outdoors cafes offering traditional French cuisine dishes. The question of selling French wines on the territory of festive events is now being considered. It is worth reminding that the decision on holding such a festival in Moscow was made a year ago on the initiative of the French party.
The Paris administration is interested in development of cultural ties between the two capitals. In the course of preparation for the Day of Moscow festival in France a series of radio and TV broadcasts about Russias capital, culture and modern variety came out.
Rosbalt News Agency cafe

August 26th, 2004
Unusual cruise Berlin-St. Petersburg
Beginning from September a tourist train of higher comfort will start running between Berlin and St. Petersburg. Every compartment is equipped with shower and toilets and designed for only two passengers.
German Wave

August 25th, 2004
Authorities of Bashkiria marks «resort boom» in the republic
Health resorts previously packed by not more than 50 to 60 percent of their capacity this season operate at their full-load. Construction and re-equipment of such sanatoria as Yangantau, Krasnousolsk, Assy, Zelenaya Roshcha (Green Grove), Yaktykul and Yumatovo are going on. A goal programme on development of health resort assistance to children in the republic for the years 2004 to 2010 has been approved. Construction of new mountain-skiing centers at Ural foothills on the Belaya River is carried out.
Rossiiskaya Gazeta

August 24th, 2004
First hunters coming to Kirov Region
First tourists from abroad in this season are coming to the Kirov Region to hunt for bears. Two travellers from Spain are going to make hunting in the Kumensk District since it is there where more probable one can meet a bear. About 200 foreigners have already visited the Kirov Region last spring. The summer-autumn hunting period will close on October 15.
Regnum News Agency

August 11th, 2004
Another international tourist exhibition to appear in Moscow
While in other regions tourist exhibitions are growing short in number due to their consolidation and extension, in Moscow more and more such forums are held. This year another one has been announced the international exhibition “Aviation-and-Tourism Industry 2004-2005,” which is to take place at Crocus Expo exhibition centre on October 28 to 30. The organizer of the event is the RF Presidents Administrative Office under the support of the RF Transport Ministry and the Federal Agency for Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism. The main executor is the federal unitary enterprise “The Network of President-Class Hotels and Health Resorts of Russia” which is under the RF Presidents Administration Office. The Aviation-and-Tourism Industry 20042005 aims mainly at determination of mutual interests, expansion of business collaboration, and conclusion of agreements and contracts.
At conferences and round-table discussions the participants will be able to talk over the problems that the aviation and tourism currently face.
www.tpnews.ru

August 11th, 2004
Orbiting hotel may appear in space
A special hotel for space travellers may appear in future. The innovation project of a scientist from the Moscow Aviation Institute engaged in projection of the spaceship “Soyuz-House” and a commercial-travel orbiting station has recently won one of the prize places at “Flight to the Future” all-Russia contest of young scholars. A special manned spaceship and an orbiting station will, as the author thinks, bring the space tourism to a fundamentally new level. Thus, it is proposed that a spaceship should be constructed on the basis of the now existing “Soyuz” spacecraft making it more comfortable, roomy and safer. An orbiting station for space travellers will also be developed on the basis of the same spacecraft.
www.Avia.ru

August 10th, 2004
Arbat Street to change its look
The Moscow city authorities intend to make Arbat, the oldest street in the town, more respectable. In the near future specialists will start to work out an Arbat street accomplishment project. All the works are to be carried out with the regard for the historic look of the street. Considerable changes may only touch the constructions that were erected in the street in recent years.
Regions of Russia News Agency

August 10th, 2004
New type of buses for tourists to appear in Moscow
Tourists will feel more comfort while travelling round Moscow as soon as buses of new type will run along the capital streets. Now the buses are being tested at Vnukovo airport carrying passengers to plane ladders. The bus bearing the pertinent name of SkyBus has been purposely designed to carry travellers burdened with a lot of things. Such means of transport may be used in other airports of Moscow (first more likely in Domodedovo) and then they will probably start running along ordinary streets. Near the city sights where a lot of people and motorcars usually gather such a two-sided bus is parked easily, and there is no difficulty for passengers to get off.
Information centre of Moscow administration

August 10th, 2004
From Petersburg to Finland by catamaran
The hydrofoil vessel called Capitan Corsair will deliver passengers from St. Petersburg to the Finnish town of Kotka as soon as in 4.5 hours, about the same time as the journey from Moscow to St. Petersburg by express train takes. The voyage is cheaper than a railway trip from Petersburg to Finland. On their way the passenger will be served by stewards, meal included, there is a bar onboard. So far the voyage is mainly headed for the Finns as at first the catamaran will only carry travellers having personal visas.
www.RCN.ru

August 9th, 2004
Inbound tourism development programme worked out in Ekaterinburg
In Ekaterinburg the number of travel agencies focused on inbound tourism has increased three times. Thus, at the beginning of 2003 there were only 10 such agencies against about 30 nowadays. It is the city administrations opinion such a trend is evidence of the fact that attractiveness of Ekaterinburg as a tourism centre has risen. The local authorities have already worked out an inbound tourism development programme for the years immediately ahead.

August 6th, 2004
Foreigners eager to see Stalins Bunker
Samara city makes attempts to gain a status of a large tourist centre counting on its major sight, so called Stalins Bunker, the existence of which was kept in secret about 50 years. The construction that only few people knew about over half a century was uncovered in 1991. Today Stalins Bunker which is considered to be the deepest construction of the World War II times (37 m) enjoys wide popularity among foreign tourists. Stalins underground apartments are under the building of the Academy of Culture and Art where the Kuibyshev regional party committee was then.
Samara Review

August 5th, 2004
Eight hotels allowed to receive guests
In Tomsk a working group has examined 26 catering enterprises and 11 hotels which want to obtain accreditation for feeding and accommodation of official delegations to and guests of the city. Today only eight hotels Tomsk, Siberia-Forum, Congress-Ruby, Oktyabrskaya, Beer House “At Krugers,” Razgulyai Estate, Eden, and Guarantee satisfy the accreditation requirements.
Regions of Russia News Agency

July 12th, 2004
Vyacheslav Fetisov opened WTO session
Head of the Federal Agency for Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism Vyacheslav Fetisov has opened a regular session of the WTO Executive Council. The session is being held in the Indian city of Khaiderabad. This year Russian is in the chair. The participants intend to discuss a number of questions that are concerned with the development of tourism industry. In particular, a problem of coordination of efforts on assistance to developing countries in tourism will be considered.
Novosti, Russian News Agency

July 12th, 2004
Russian and Republic of Korea simplify visa regulation
In the immediate future the parties are going to prepare an agreement on simplifying visa regulations between the two countries. A visa question was a matter of discussion during the official visit of Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, to Sourth Korea.
www.Polit.ru

July 11th, 2004
Muscovites see another St. Petersburg
Moscow active tourism clubs offer their clients new routes round the northern capital. The tours are expected to be interesting for both those who are keen on speleology (study of artificial underground cavities) and lovers of non-standard journeys. The tours include visiting of Sablino, natural reserve where there are catacombs dug in sandstones. Besides, tourists will be offered to visit little known museums in St. Petersburg, particularly the Arctic and Antarctic Museum, the Brodsky artist museum-apartment, and the museum of musical instruments.
www.tpnews.ru 

July 10th, 2004
In South of Russia two new aquaparks opened this summer
The aquapark Limpopo in Stavropol has become one of the most up-to-date and technically equipped similar parks in the southern regions of Russia: there is a 70-metre “Black Water-Chute.” Up to one thousand visitors a day can be served in the park. On the territory of Nautilus aquapark in the Lazarevskoe district in Sochi there are four pools: for swimming, with chutes, childrens and the one equipped with extreme entertainment ride “Tsunami.” After the second stage of the park has come into operation, up to four thousand people a day will be able to spend their spare time their.
The Tourist Caucasus

July 9th, 2004
Merchants daughter became tourist brand of Kineshma
The local administration intends to turn Kineshma city in the Ivanovo Region into a well visited tourist centre. A special programme aiming at development of the tourism industry in which major emphasis is laid on river tourism is already being implemented in Kineshma. This year the city plans to receive 30 ships each carrying about 300 tourists. To attract more tourists the brand “Maria, merchants daughter looking for a suitor” has been devised, the programme “Theatrical Kineshma” has been worked out, and weekend tours with accommodation at village houses are arranged.
www.tpnews.ru

June 24th, 2004
Finally, tourism industry found its guidance
The Federal Agency for Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism made appointments concerning the tourism industry. A department for tourism attached to the Agency has been set up, and Vladimir Sibiryakov was appointed a head of the Department, and Yuri Putrik his deputy.

Alexander Sokolov, head of the Committee for Business in Tourism of the RF Chamber of Commerce and Industry, is appointed Vyacheslav Fetisovs first-hand deputy on tourism.
Thus, the head of the Agency actually has got as many as two deputies charged with tourism. It is already known that there will be 21 officials in the staff of the newly formed tourism body, half the staff of the tourism department under the “pre-reformed” government.
According to Vladimir Sibiryakov, now officials of the former tourism department “are preparing their resumes.” Later on the new head will pick out those of them who are fit for the job. It is interesting to note that no one from the former department gives any comment on newly made appointments, and what is more they say there is no information about it yet.
www.tpnews.ru

June 23rd, 2004
Three big first-class hotels to appear in centre of Moscow within next three years
In Tverskaya Street, on the place of the former Actor Gallery, a new five-star hotel will be built. The hotel complex of 14.3 thousand sq m total area will include a sales zone, office buildings and underground garage to accommodate up to 90 motor-cars.
Construction and furnishing of the new hotel are to be completed by spring 2007. Also by 2007 another first-class hotel will appear in the same street. It will be erected on the place of the former 22-storey Intourist Hotel pulled down last year.
The new 9-stirey hotel will be able to accommodate 350 guests at a time, and its construction will differ from all other present hotels; its major feature will be movable walls in restaurants and easily changeable lay-outs of the rooms.
Moreover, reconstruction of the Moskva Hotel is planned to be completely finished in the year 2006 which will result in about doubling of actual accommodation space and raising the hotel class up to five stars.
www.mosinform.ru

June 22nd, 2004
Hermitage abates prices for entrance tickets
Considering on the appeal from the Inbound Tourism Committee the Hermitage national museum has taken the proposal made by travel agencies of the city and began in this season to conduct the contract-concluding campaign which is to last from June 1 to August 1.
The Hermitage agreed to reduce prices for excursion services for groups of school students up to January 11 and to give a reduction to travel agencies as much as one euro for every foreign tourist.
www.ABNews.ru

June 21st, 2004
Underground transport tunnel may connect Kuban and Crimea
Presentation of the KerchKuban underground transport tunnel project designed by Ukrainian engineers has taken place in Yalta city. Three parallel tunnels, the middle of which will be for service purposes, are planned to be laid under the Kerchensky Strait.
The length of the tunnel will be 15 km. The cost of the project is more than $780 million, and it will take about three and a half years to construct the tunnel. It was as early as in the late 1990s that Yuri Luzhkov proposed that a bridge across the Kerchensky Strait should be raised.
A motor road and a railway were expected to be built through the bridge. Also pipelines to transfer additional energy carriers from Russia to the Crimea part of which could be exported to third countries. Today, trains running between the Crimea and Taman are, as before, are ferried across the channel.
Yet, the idea of laying a transport line to the Crimea has still been discussed in Russia. Today Tuzla Spit is planned to be used for the purpose. According to Alexander Tkachyov, governor of the Krasnodar Territory, this dam will facilitate the construction of a bridge between the Crymski and Tamanski Peninsulas.
RzHD-Partner

June 17th, 2004
Direct car in EkaterinburgBerlin train
On June 16 a direct car started running on the EkaterinburgBerlin route. The car has been launched in the context of implementation of the international transport line to be laid according to the agreement reached in the course of the meeting of President Vladimir Putin and Chancellor of Germany Gerhard Schroder held in Ekaterinburg in October, 2003.
The new car will run once a week in the period from June 16 to December 8, 2004.
The second-class car has three-seat compartments and was specially delivered to Ekaterinburg from Moscow. During its run the car will make stops in Perm, Kirov, Nizhni Novgorod, Vladimir, Smolensk, Minsk, Brest, and Warsaw.
RRW-Partner

June 16th, 2004
New tourist centers to appear in Olkhonsk District this summer season
Five new tourist centers will appear in the Olkhonsk District. It is worth reminding that today 22 tourists centers operate officially in the municipal structure. But there are much more companies that render various services to tourists. According to the local administration, more than 130 travel-business entities have been registered in the Olkhonsk District.
News from SBAT

May 27th, 2004
A fashionable business centre to appear in Moscow
The modern centre Profico will be constructed on Krylatskaya and Krylatskie Holmy (hills) streets cross. The 26-storey building has been designed as a fashionable office block equipped with a helicopter landing ground on the top. On the first floor there will be a cafй, restaurant, bank division, and a conference room. In the subsurface part of the building a many-storey garage is provided for.
www.ytro.ru

May 26th, 2004
Special prices for flights from Moscow
Lufthansa airline jointly with its Star Alliance partner Austrian airline Austrian offers special prices for air tickets to passengers flying from Moscow. From 20 May to 15 June one can buy economic-class tickets to London for US$269; to Madrid, Barcelona, Bilbao, Paris, Bordeaux, Lion, Marcel, Nice, Toulouse, Pisa, Bologna, Genoa, Rome, Naples, Milan, Turin, Venice, Verona, Birmingham, Dublin, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bremen, Cologne, Dьsseldorf, Frankfurt, Hanover, Hamburg, Nuremberg, Amsterdam, Brussels, Luxemburg, Geneva, Zurich, and Basel for US$299; to Malaga, Istanbul, Florence, Lisbon, and Porto for US$329.
For business-class passengers tickets to Amman, Beirut, Cairo, Damask, and Teheran will cost US$1,800, to Dubai - US$1,900, to Washington - US$2,338, to Boston - 2,465, to New-York - 2,508, to Philadelphia - US$2,635, to Miami - US$2,678, to Chicago - US$2,810, to Johannesburg, Capetown, and Lagos - US$2,816, to Rio de Janeiro - US$2,822, to Deli - US$2,974, to Peking, Guangzhou, Hon Kong, Jakarta, Manila, Seoul, Singapore, and Shanghai - US$3,000, to San Paulo - US$3,143, to San Francisco, Los Angeles - US$3,414, to Mexico - US$3,421. The prices hold true for flights made by Lufthansa from 1 July till 31 August.
www.tpnews.ru

May 25th, 2004
Nevski Express to run again this summer
At the beginning of June the fast train between Moscow and St. Petersburg, Nevski Express, will resume running. The train will run three times a week. Every compartment is equipped with television and soft couches with mobile head- and elbow-rests. There is a special compartment for wheelchair-bounded invalids. The express runs at a speed of 200 km/h. The way takes about 4 hours 50 minutes.
RRW-Partner

May 24th, 2004
Map of Russia to be handed over to every foreign tourist
Information booklet for foreign tourists coming to Russia has been published in Murmansk city. The edition contains essential reference information about the rules of entering in Russia, customs requirements, state system, and about Russian border service. The booklet will give initial knowledge of history and culture of Russia, climate, and Russian traditions to foreign travellers. Together with the booklet every guests will be given a map of the Russian Federation in which geographical zones of the country, major cities, historical monuments and places of interest are designated.
Novosti news agency

May 24th, 2004
Welcome to Russian Kolyma!
The Magadan Region offers a wide choice of active, adventure, and environment tours: sports fishing, dive tours which allow tourists to fish from a motor boat, to see bird colonies on the seashore, rookeries of sea animals, amenities of coastal cliffs. For shooting lovers hunting for the brown bear, argali, lynx is made up. Travellers coming to visit the region can take part in vivid and picturesque national festivals held by small northern peoples or to become a real “Robinson” having been transferred by a helicopter to back lands of Kolyma. In winter tourists are offered to stay at a hunting lodge on the lakeside of holy dead Mak Lake or to take an extreme tour on snow-mobiles round a wild snow-covered wood. There are about 200 historical and cultural sights in the Kolyma Region. At present, residents of Scandinavia, Alaska, Japan, Korea, and China visit Kamchatka best of all.
www.tpnews.ru

May 17th, 2004
MITF 2004 exhibition held in Moscow
On 13 to 16 May the 4-th Moscow International Tourism Fair MITF-Tourism & Leisure took place at the exhibition centre Gostiny Dvor. Over 600 tourism companies from 30 countries including Russia took part in the event. 71 regions (administrative subjects) of the Russian Federation represented their resorts and health centres. Siberia stand that united eleven Siberian regions was established at the MITF for the first time. The 4-th Moscow Tourism Show “The Four Whales” as implementation of the Moscow administration programme for support of small business was arranged in the framework of the fair. Travel agencies that realize mass-demanded tour packages were participants of the show.
The MITF business programme included an international conference “Tourism with no boundaries,” and the final stage of the all-Russia national folklore festival Miss Tourism of the Globe Russia-2004 in which winners of regional beauty contests Miss Tourism from 28 regions of Russia took part was the hit of the MITF cultural programme.
www.tpnews.ru

May 14th, 2004
The most part of tourists in Moscow from Germany
By the end of the year the Moscow authorities will have completed the mounting of information stands with inscriptions in seven languages beside the major sights of the capital. First of all the stands will be placed near historic buildings and structures on the territory of the Kremlin as well as in the area adjacent to the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. Today, three thousand of light signs bearing Latin transcriptions of Russian names of the streets and metro stations as well as over 500 light maps of the central part of the city have already been installed in Moscow. According to the Moscow Tourism Committee, last year the most number of foreign visitors in Moscow were from Germany, 208 thousand, from the USA 146 thousand, and on the third place are the French 98 thousand people.
www.strana.ru

May 13th, 2004
Over 100 thousand Russians applied for British visas in 2003
The number of applications filed for visas to the consular department of the British embassy in Moscow was 82,623, to general consulate in Ekaterinburg 4,663, and in St. Petersburg 13,962. For four months of this year 28,094 people applied for British visas in Moscow, 1,992 in Ekaterinburg, and 5,344 in St. Petersburg. The total number of those who wish to obtain a visa to the United Kingdom during the period from January to April has come to over 35 thousand people. The number of visas that has been actually issued is more than 90% of the total number of applications.
Novosti

May 12th, 2004
British Airways started to fly to Ekaterinburg
On 11 May British Airways carried out its first flight from Ekaterinburg to London. The flights of five and a half hours long will be carried out on Tuesdays and Thursdays from the Siberian capital. The return flights are scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Saturday. In connection with the opening new route British Airways is conducting an action: special tariff of $350 on the EkaterinburgLondonEkaterinburg route will be in force till 30 May.
www.tpnews.ru

May 10th, 2004
Passengers of Lufthansa can gain premium miles
Lufthansa airline is conducting a special action in favour of its clients participants of Miles & More programme aimed at giving an incentive to the passengers frequently flying by the airline. Lufthansa will present two thousand premium miles to everyone who will be registered as a Miles & More participant until 30 September and collect first three thousand miles on the airline flights and use services of airlines-partners (flights, staying at hotels and hiring cars) until 30 November. Lufthansa offers doubled quantity of premium miles to the programme participants for the flights along the newly introduced summer-scheduled routes: FrankfurtKuala Lumpur, MunichCharlott, MunichPeking, MunichTeheran, and MunichGuanghzhou. Also, until 30 June passengers can make doubled quantity of miles on flights from Munich to Dubai and Tokyo.
www.tpnews.ru

May 10th, 2004
Yakutia opened its travel information centre in Moscow
The Yakutia travel information centre (TIC) has been opened at the Republic Sakha permanent representation in Moscow. The centre intends to act under the motto “Yakutia a rising tourism star” and to offer “diamond” and “golden” itineraries, and cruises up and down the Lena River, environmental tours and extreme journeys. In the near future divisions of the TIC Yakutia are to be opened in Khabarovsk and St. Petersburg which will allow the republic to increase the number of inbound tourists. The republican administration hopes that in a few years the local travel companies will receive up to eight thousand people a year.
Vostok-Media

May 6th, 2004
Foreigners pay for cleaning railway station
Entrance to the railway station in Vladivostok has been maid paid for foreigners. Now a 10-people group of travellers from abroad is to pay 314 roubles for entering the station. According to the head of the Vladivostok direction for servicing passengers Anatoly Senchenko, the decision to make the entrance to the station building paid was caused by the necessity to tidy up the waiting room of the station every day.
Regions of Russia news agency

May 3rd, 2004
In Sochi one can inquire everything about beer
On 19 to 24 May 15, 2004 at the exhibition centre of the hotel complex Zhemchuzhina (Pearl) in Sochi the 13-th International Exhibition-Fair “Beer” will be held. The 13-th international contest of beer, soft drinks, raw materials and equipment with presenting diplomas and medals will take place in the context of the Fair. The major sections of the exhibition: beer, raw staffs and equipment for brewing, mini-breweries, soft drinks, packaging and labels.
www.Yuga.ru

April 30th, 2004
A mountain hiking trail to be restored in Kuban
The foot-route from Goryachi Klyuch (Hot Spring) to Tuapse in the Krasnodar Territory is to be renewed. During five days tourists will be able to hike in mountains of Kuban and then they will spend a week in one of the sea-side hotels. One of the first who will test the route will be the personnel of travel agencies of the Tuapse District in the Krasnodar Territory.
www.Yuga.ru

April 30th, 2004
Booklets for foreign tourists prepared in Vladivostok
The booklets will acquaint foreign guests with the local places of interest and history of the city. Today the first lot of booklets in Russian-English and Russian-Japanese (since the Japanese show their particular interest in the main city of the Primorie area) versions is under elaboration. Besides, a special mobile stand, which Vladivostok is going to display at various tourism-related exhibitions, have been worked out.
www.Data.ru

April 29th, 2004
A shipping company opened a hotel of its own
Estonian shipping company Tallink has opened the Best Western Hotel Tallink in Tallinn which on 10 May received the first guests. The 10-storey hotel has about 350 rooms. By the number of beds the hotel became the second one in the capital following the Viry Hotel. On the zero level of the hotel building there is night club Cellar with accommodation capacity of 220 people at a time and a casino. On the first flour there are two restaurants and a bean-dish bar.
Rosbalt news agency

April 23rd, 2004
Is it necessary to research tourist possibilities of St. Petersburg?
Companies that will fight for the right to study tourist potential of the northern capital and work out strategy of promoting the city abroad have been named in St. Petersburg. International consulting organizations such as - Boston Consulting Group, Roland Berger, PricewaterhouseCoopers, and PKF take part in the contest. It is worth reminding that the winner will be rewarded with US$500,000 from the federal budget. Yet tour-operators of St. Petersburg remark that no consultants are needed to name the two most vital problems preventing from development of tourism in the city; they are hotels and transport. 
Regnum news agency

April 22nd, 2004
VisitBritain invests in Russian tour market
The number of Russian tourists that visited Great Britain last year has increased by 16% in comparison with the figure in the year before. Besides, there are ample evidence that in the year 2004 this index will grow further, as Tom Right, executive director of VisitBritain, said. According to him, VisitBritain intends in future to go on investing in Russian market to stimulate the growth of tourist flow from Russia to Great Britain. 
Infocity 

April 20th, 2004
The Silver Ring to enter into the list of strategic programmes of Russia
The tourist route Silver Ring is to be completely worked out by 1st June. It concludes three cultural belts: first St. Petersburg suburbia, second sights of the Leningrad Region, and the third objects of note in the north-western region. Besides Old Ladoga the project will, to all appearance, include Gatchina and Ropsha. Moreover, the Silver Ring route will embrace all the monasteries and old-time fortresses on the territory of the Leningrad Region which are not far from St. Petersburg. About US$15 billion is supposed to be invested in realization of the project in the course of 15 years. About 80 cultural objects are planned to be erected in Pushkin town, the total cost of them is US$1.5 billion. The amount of investments in Petrodvorets and its outskirts will be US$2.5 billion, and investments in the centre of St. Petersburg will come to US$12 billion.
At present, the project has undergone an examination by experts in the UNESCO, and next year it will be included in the list of this funds programs. Travellers are supposed to be offered a unique tourist product a Russian-style wedding, fishing, and a young-soldier course. The Silver Ring will also enter into the list of strategic programmes of Russia and become a socially meaningful objective as it will create about two million places of work. 
ABN 

April 16th, 2004
Rossia Hotel to rebirth in classical architecture style
The new building of the hotel will be constructed in classical architecture style to harmonize with the Moscow Kremlin ensemble, Alexander Kuzmin, chief architect of the capital, said. "This is not the place to make architectural experiments" he underlined. Besides, A. Kuzmin did not exclude that in place of one building several low-storied buildings may appear on the spot, a block of buildings united by the same architectural idea. Reconstruction of the hotel complex will not start before the year 2005. 
The Izvestia newspaper 

April 13th, 2004
To spend honey-moon in a cave is offered in the Arkhangelsk Region
At the World of Travels tourist exhibition held in Arkhangelsk about 30 travel agencies represented their itineraries. The routes offered by the Pinezhsky District, which focuses on environmental tourism, generated the keenest interest. Except for traditional caves and fishing it represented a new tour to Father Frosts summer residence. A special room where the Father Frost "sleeps" during the summer-time has been fixed up in one of the karst caverns of Golubinsky Hole. To all appearance the tour Father Frosts Summer Dreams will awake childrens interest. Another tour, Caves for Lovers, is aimed at young loving couples spending their honey-moons. They are offered such an extreme entertainment as overnight staying in a cave. At this, a newly wedded couple is given a packed lunch, first-aid set, and a telephone to call the tourist camp and to make an order from a restaurant or to ask for some help. 
Russian North news agency

April 13th, 2004
In Ekaterinburg taxi-drivers learn English
The programme aimed at development of inbound tourism will be worked out in Ekaterinburg within a month. The task was posed by Arkady Chernetsky, head of the city, at the meeting dedicated to development of inbound tourism. Recently the number of tourist routes in Ekaterinburg has increased two to three times and the required tourist infrastructure is being shaped. Guests of the Ural capital get necessary information in English as early as they fly up to the city or when they arrive to the airport. Several tens of taxi-drivers in Ekaterinburg has been purposely taught English, and in 30 public catering establishments menus in English appeared. It is worth reminding that a little bit more than 10 years ago Ekaterinburg was a closed city where were no experience and no appropriate infrastructure for receiving foreign guests. Now in the city a special coordinating board has been established which unites tour-operators, guides, lecturers of institutes of higher education, transport workers, employees of the hotel network and public catering sphere. For the last four years the number of foreigners that visited Ekaterinburg has increased by a factor of ten.
API news agency

April 12th, 2004
Kuzminki estate prepares for celebration of the 300-th anniversary
On the territory of the estate there are four museums, ecology-enlightening centre, demo bee-garden with a tasting room, horse sports centre, show jumping field, and two parks of culture and rest (Kuzminki and Lublino.) The complex can receive over 5 thousand ramblers and up to 15 tour groups daily. Holding the 2-nd city flour-garden festival has been set up for 10-th July. 
Information centre of the Moscow administration


April 9th, 2004
Days of historical and cultural heritage to be held in Moscow on 18-th April and 18-th May 
In these two days residents of the capital will have a chance to visit museums without paying for entrance tickets. All most popular museums and exhibition halls are supposed to be opened free. Also organized groups will be able to visit the Moscow administration house on Tverskaya Street. The house is of great value as one the historical and architectural monuments in Moscow. Besides, the Moscow administration is considering the possibility to allow school-children groups going to visit museums on 18-th April and 18-th May to use the public transport free of fare.
www.NEWSru.com

April 8th, 2004
Wireless access to Internet is opened in Pulkovo airport
Zones marked with "Wi-Fi Zone" logotype will soon appear in the VIP-hall and in the hall for official delegations in Pulkovo-1 as well as in business-rooms of the airport building of Pulkovo-2. Other premises of the airport, from waiting rooms to passenger arriving halls, cafes, bars and restaurants are supposed to be covered with wireless access to the Internet in the nearest future. 
www.tpnews.ru 

April 8th, 2004
Numeration of passenger trains on the territory of Russia and CIS countries changes from 30-th of May
Because of increasing the speed of running trains slowly pass from passenger category to the category of fast trains where the numbers are limited in their quantity. Beginning from 30-th of May fast passenger trains of round-year schedule that earlier bore numbers from 1 to 100 will be given numbers from 1 to 148. Season-running fast passenger trains will be given numbers from 201 to 298 (earlier from 101 to 150.) Besides, a specific numeration has been introduced for fast trains from 151 to 169. 
RRW-Partner


April 7th, 2004
Foreigners will be given a drive in tank
Preparation for the first military tour for foreign travelers to be held on the territory of the exhibition area of the Institute of Metal Tests, where the forthcoming international exhibition of weapons is to be held, is being completed in Nizhni Tagil. The military tour will be held in the context of a visit of a group of journalists to the Sverdlovsk Region. Representatives from 24 editorials will visit the testing ground where a show of defense technologies will be arranged for them. The military tour programme includes pistol and submachine gun firing. Probably,the foreigners will be given a drive in tank and a flight in helicopter. 
Regions of Russia news agency

April 7th, 2004
President of Russia discussed tourism development problems with A. Tkachyov 
During his visit to the South Federal District Vladimir Putin met with Vladimir Yakovlev, president's plenipotentiary in the region, and invited him "to take part in working out governmental instruments to support the resort business." Also, the President had a talk with Alexander Tkachyov, governor of the Krasnodar Region. They spoke about the ways to further tourism in the region. Resorts of the region, the governor believes, will soon be able to compete with Turkey, Egypt, and even the most well-being European countries
NIG Agency


April 5th, 2004
RF Ministry of Foreign Affairs doesnt issue invitations any longer 
So far the Ministry gave out invitations on applications of all juridical persons and organizations for entering the country. Now the RF Internal Ministry will do this. The MFA will issue invitations only on applications of federal governmental bodies, diplomatic missions and consular offices of foreign countries, international organizations and their representatives in Russia. At this, if a foreigner is going to Russia to study, he/she is exempted from invitation duties. However, the inviting side, as it was before, is to produce the assurance that the foreigner will be provided with maintenance, accommodation, and medical care for the time of his/her staying in Russia. Invitations will be issued within 30 days of the applying date.
The Moscow Komsomolets newspaper 

April 1st, 2004
Trans-Asia expedition aims at popularization of extreme tourism
The school of extreme-adventure tourism arranges trans-Asia international expedition-marathon in August-October, 2004, around the Central Asia. The expedition supported by the Moscow Tourism Committee is dedicated to the 80-th anniversary of the trans- Himalaya expedition of N. Rerikh, outstanding Russian traveler and thinker, and to the 100-th anniversary of foundation of the Russian Motor-Car Society and the International Motor-Car Federation. One of the major purposes of the expedition is popularization of motoring extreme-adventure tourism in Russia. 
www.Kolesa.ru 


March 31st, 2004
The Rossia Hotel wont be pulled down
Pulling down of the Rossia Hotel is postponed until the Moskva Hotel has been restored. Yuri Luzhkov, mayor of Moscow, has fount it "improper from political point of view to lose the two hotels, Rossia and Moskva, at the same time." 
The Information Centre of Moscow


March 30th, 2004
SN Brussels Airlines started on flights to Moscow
National carrier of Belgium, SN Brussels Airlines, launched on regular flights to Domodedovo airport. The first flight from Brussels to Moscow was carried out on March 28. 
www.tpnews.ru 


March 29th, 2004
A tunnel between Adler and Krasnaya Polyana to be opened next year
Today it is the most important construction site in Sochi city. It is expected that upon opening the tunnel an influx of people to the Sochi resort area will increase several times. The present main road to Krasnaya Polyana is a three-kilometre mountain serpentine. Frequent stonefalls here make it really dangerous. The tunnel that is under construction now will make the way half a kilometer shorter, it is much wider and less dangerous than the old road. The construction started five years ago and, according to the plan, it will be completed next year. 
www.Yuga.ru 

March 29th, 2004
"Miss Tourism 2004" beauty contest to be held in Prinorie on May 7
The most charming and professionally trained female personnel working in the travel business of the Territory can be participants of the event. The winner will represent the Primorie Territory at the all-Russia festival "Miss Tourism" which, in its turn, has been included into the world calendar of the "Miss Tourism of the Global" contests. 
Regnum news agency

March 23rd, 2004
Russia to be ranked second in the world in investments in tourism
The World Tourism & Traveling Council has published a world tour industry development forecast for the next decade. According to the forecast made by experts, Russias tour market will develop rapidly. In 2005 to 2014 Russia will take second place in the world in the amount of investments in tour industry. As soon as in 2004 the number of incoming travelers will double. The council recognizes that Russia still faces a lot of problems concerning the tourist infrastructure, though the country comes seventh in growth of employment in the tourism industry, and the expected 10 percent of increase in Russian tour market in 2004 look as a record against the background of the world market figures. In addition, in the forthcoming decade extremity, unique beauty and originality of destinations, which are distinctive features of Russia, are expected to be the most attractive factors for travelers in choosing places to make holidays. Besides, Montenegro, India, China, Vietnam, Angola, Laos, Chad, Guadeloupe, and Uganda will be undoubted leaders in the world tourism growth in the next 10 years. 
RTR News Agency

March 22nd, 2004
"Tourist Resources of Russia" dispersed eagerly
The Russian promotional-information printed materials were in great demand at ITB-2004 exhibition in Berlin. Various booklets and editions were abundantly presented and distributed among visitors at the Moscow booth. The German-language folder "Tourist Resources of Russia" published by Informbank Agency generated considerable public rush. Over 3.5 thousand copies were served out in the course of the exhibition.
www.tpnews.ru 

March 22nd, 2004
Miss Tourism contest to be held in May
On May 13 to 17 the Moscow Tourism Committee holds the largest in Russia 4-th international tourist fair "Tourism and Leisure MITF" in the Gostiny Dvor exhibition centre. Its for the first time that the final round of the all-Russia national contest Miss Tourism of the Globe Russia-2004 will be held in the context of the cultural programme of the fair. Ambassadress from all regions of Russia will take part in the contest. Finalists will fight for the title of Miss Tourism of the Globe, and later on they will represent Moscow and the MITF tourist fair at international contests. 
www.tpnews.ru

March 23rd, 2004
Russia to be ranked second in the world in investments in tourism
The World Tourism & Traveling Council has published a world tour industry development forecast for the next decade. According to the forecast made by experts, Russias tour market will develop rapidly. In 2005 to 2014 Russia will take second place in the world in the amount of investments in tour industry. As soon as in 2004 the number of incoming travelers will double. The council recognizes that Russia still faces a lot of problems concerning the tourist infrastructure, though the country comes seventh in growth of employment in the tourism industry, and the expected 10 percent of increase in Russian tour market in 2004 look as a record against the background of the world market figures. In addition, in the forthcoming decade extremity, unique beauty and originality of destinations, which are distinctive features of Russia, are expected to be the most attractive factors for travelers in choosing places to make holidays. Besides, Montenegro, India, China, Vietnam, Angola, Laos, Chad, Guadeloupe, and Uganda will be undoubted leaders in the world tourism growth in the next 10 years. 
RTR News Agency

March 22nd, 2004
Tourist Resources of Russia dispersed eagerly
The Russian promotional-information printed materials were in great demand at ITB-2004 exhibition in Berlin. Various booklets and editions were abundantly presented and distributed among visitors at the Moscow booth. The German-language folder "Tourist Resources of Russia" published by Informbank Agency generated considerable public rush. Over 3.5 thousand copies were served out in the course of the exhibition.
www.tpnews.ru 

March 22nd, 2004
Miss Tourism contest to be held in May
On May 13 to 17 the Moscow Tourism Committee holds the largest in Russia 4-th international tourist fair "Tourism and Leisure MITF" in the Gostiny Dvor exhibition centre. Its for the first time that the final round of the all-Russia national contest Miss Tourism of the Globe Russia-2004 will be held in the context of the cultural programme of the fair. Ambassadress from all regions of Russia will take part in the contest. Finalists will fight for the title of Miss Tourism of the Globe, and later on they will represent Moscow and the MITF tourist fair at international contests. 
www.tpnews.ru

March 17th, 2004
In Russia tourism merged with sport and physical culture and attached to the Health Ministry
By his decree "On system and structure of the federal executive power" President V. Putin has created five new ministries, 18 federal services, 20 federal agencies, and one federal treasure, and some ministries and departments have been abolished. Specifically, now tourism in Russia will be under the Federal Agency for Physical Culture, Sport and Tourism. This function is taken away from the RF Ministry for Economic Development and Trade. In its turn, the Agency is under the newly founded Ministry for Public Health and Social Development. The Ministry will be headed by Mikhail Zurabov, the former head of the Pension Fund Administration. The name of the head of the Federal Agency will become known in the near future, but to all appearance Vyacheslav Fetisov, head of the eliminated State Sports Committee, will take the post. 
The RF Ministry for Economic Development and Trade which, before the restructuring, was responsible for tourism will comprise three services customs, antimonopoly and national statistics. As before, German Gref will head it. 
www.tpnews.ru 

March 17th, 2004
In Russia "considerable culture" and "beautiful women" attract Americans
At the joint conference held in New-York on March 5 leading American and Russian tour operators discussed the ways to increase the tourist flow from the USA to Russia. So far only two percent of Americans have ever been to the Russian Federation, mainly aged people. According to the RF Consulate General in New-York, the number of American travellers that visited Russia in 2003 did not exceed 100 thousand people. During the year 2004 presentations of Russias resources in receiving of tourists from overseas will take place in Washington, Seattle, Huston, and San-Francisco. The increasing popularity of tours to Kamchatka, Altai and Kola Peninsula, Povolzhiye and Karelia, as well as exotic itineraries to the North Pole, Yakutia, Tuva, Khakasia, and to the near-polar Ural among foreigners was pointed to at the forum. 
Regnum news agency

March 16th, 2004
The TV-tower in Ostankino is planned to be opened for visitors this autumn
Observation area at the Ostankino TV tower recently restored after fire is possibly be opened in autumn 2004. Yuri Berbikov, director of the federal unitary enterprise "Russias Broadcast Network" says that today new express elevators are being installed in the tower. Besides, business partners are looked for to launch the Seventh Sky restaurant there. Before the TV tower is opened for visitors it will be equipped with life-saving facilities. 
Novosti news agency 

March 15th, 2004
Chooms installed on streets of Khanty-Mansiysk 
According to preliminary data, about 1,300 tourists are going to come to Khanty-Mansiysk during the Spirit of Fire international film festival, IBU Grand-Prix 2004 biathlon competition, and Russian ski championship. New itineraries and tour programs are being prepared for them. Except for museums and sights the guests will be offered active recreation on cross-country and mountain skiing tracks. Ethnographic chooms (round tents of skins or felt stretched over a lattice framework used by nomadic tribes in Siberia for living) where one can taste national cuisine dishes have been set up in the city. Especially for the film festival the Samarovsky Chugas national park has worked out a number of tour itineraries, excursion tours round the city and the forest, environment-protection quizzes, picnics, and tea-drinking parties at the campfire are among them. The Samarovsky Yam programme is expected to draw tourists attention: on the territory of the memorable sign dedicated to pioneers of the Yugorsk
land elements of the coachmens settlement which, in the first half of the 18-th century, was just on the place where there is Khanty-Mansiysk city now have been renewed. Visitors will be offered a historical tour, hot tea in choom, and horse-back riding. 
www.tpnews.ru

March 12th, 2004
The USA to discover Russia anew
The first, after the USSR collapsed, joint conference of the leading American and Russian tour operators will take place in New-York. At the forum "Discover Russia" the ways to increase flows of travelers from the USA to Russia will be discussed. According to data of the Russian Federation Consulate General in New-York, the number of American tourists that visited Russia in 2003 did not exceed 100 thousand people. In this respect the USA yields not only to Western European countries, but to Poland, China and Baltic countries. Now, Russian tour operators are eager to attract American travel companies attention not only to Moscow and the Golden Ring, but also to routes through Russian northern cities and the cities that are on the Trans-Siberian main line. About 200 American travel agencies are expected to take part in the New-York conference. 
www.novosti.ru 

March 10th, 2004
Capital of Russia took part in international conference in London
Grigory Antyufeyev, head of the Moscow Tourism Committee, and heads of tourist administrative bodies of such world capitals as Berlin, Deli, Dublin, New-York, Paris, and Shanghai being invited by Ken Livingston, mayor of London, have, for the first time, taken part in the international conference on tourism in the world largest cities. Presentation of Moscow as a world tourist centre took place on the first day of the conference. Besides, the Moscow Committee showed to the Forum the Big Pancake Day holiday as it is traditionally celebrated in Russia, the MITF tourist fair, and the Moscow tourism information centre. Participants of the conference showed their interest in unification of tourism information centres of the world capitals into the unite information space.
www.tpnews.ru 


March 9th, 2004
Now one can have a birds-eye view of Moscow from a helicopter
A new offering has been introduced by the capital tourism market a helicopter tour over Moscow. The tour route lies within the Moscow Ring Road, yet, at tourists request, the pilot can fly over the neighbouring towns, such as Sergiev Posad or Suzdal. Tourists are carried on Mi-8P helickpter with large square windows. The number of people taken by helicopter is 20. At full load the ticket costs not more than US$117. The price includes return transfer to/from the airport (Bykovo or Astafievo), the flight for about 85 minutes, and soft drinks. The flight is carried out at an altitude of 150 m. Tourists are accompanied with an experienced guide. 
www.tourist.ru

March 9th, 2004
Only 10 percent of foreigners come to Moscow by tourist visas
According to the RF Federal Border Service, the number of foreign citizens that entered the Russian Federation through airports of the Moscow air zone in 2003 was 2,448,181 people, 10 percent more than it was in 2002. According to the Moscow administrations information, only 10 percent of foreign travelers visited Moscow by tourist visas. At that, tour operators managed to fill up not more than 15 percent of the whole capitals hotel capacity. 
www.tpnews.ru 

March 9th, 2004
Pulkovo summer-season schedule to be far extended
The number of flights from Moscow to Berlin, Hamburg and Dьsseldorf carried out by Pulkovo airport will be increased in 2004 from two to three a week. By this summer the air company will connect St. Petersburg and Peking by four flights a week of which at least two will be carried out on Il-86 planes. And in May Pulkovo will launch a new air route, St. PetersburgShanghai. More charter hauls, up 20 percent, are expected on routes to France and Germany. In late June Pulkovo will start to carry out regular flights to London. The number of flights between St. Petersburg and cities of the CIS will also be increased: to/from Kiev up to four flights a week and to/from Bishkek and Dushanbe up to two a week. In the forthcoming season regular flights to five cities of Kazakhstan will be launched to Astana, Almaty, Karaganda, Kustanai, and Ust-Kamenogorsk. 
www.tpnews.ru 

March 9th, 2004
Genoa-Yekaterinburg flight to be launched
The Italian side is interested in launching of GenoaYekaterinburg charter flights. Representatives of administration of this Italian city say that opening of the flight will assist in development of tourism as well as in cooperation in culture and economy between the two regions. Issues concerning the organization of the air communication are to be discussed at meetings of Italian officials with representatives of Yekaterinburg authorities and business circles. 
Regions of Russia news agency

March 4th, 2004
A hotel in Nizhni Novgorod welcomes people with limited abilities
Administration of the Tsentralny Hotel in Nizhni Novgorod has taken a decision to adapt the hotel building for people with limited abilities. First of all, to make the entrance fit to such people and then to furnish some rooms with auxiliary hand-rails. In the course of the reconstruction the hotel will also be equipped with special signs for those eyeless. 
Voyazh news agency

March 3rd, 2004
Yar presents its golden collection this year
This spring a gallery of groceries and provisions will be opened in bays of the colonnade which connects the Sovetsky Hotel with Yar restaurant. According to Western consultants advices, it will be designed in the image and likeness of the gallery that the Plaza Athenee Hotel in Paris has. One of the cozy corners will be turned into a brasserie, the other one into an open kitchen restaurant. Besides, a basin with living fish and lobsters will be made in the Green Bar. 
www.tpnews.ru 

March 2nd, 2004
The future of tourism in Chukotka is individual tours 
More than two thousand travelers from 22 countries have visited Chukotka since the beginning of the year 2001. Only for the last navigation six cruise ships that delivered more than 500 passengers into the district entered Chukotkas ports. Travelers visit the district centre and eastern regions. Eighty percent of the travelers come to the district with cognitive purposes and only 17 percent is business tourism. More than others Chukotka attracts Americans who make up 62 percent of the total number of incoming tourists. Russian tourists (11 percent of the total number) have the same reasons to visit Chukotka. The English is quite another matter. They are interested in the Utmost North as in itself, as a unique and exotic region. The authorities of Chukotka believe that the most promising for the development of tourism in the area is individual tours which include shooting, fishing, extreme sport, hikes and trips. 
Regnum news agency

March 1st, 2004
Floating hotels may appear on the Baikal
A new project of a complex including four floating hotels, a ship and a towboat was presented at the interregional scientific and practical conference "Development of tourism in the Baikal region" held in Irkutsk. According to the authors of the project, the pay-back period for one hotel is from 2.5 to 3 years. In the first stage two hotels are planned to be built, but if some interested investors are turned up, the whole complex of four hotels can be constructed. In that case the pay-out period will be two to three years longer. 
Regnum news agency

February 26th, 2004
Domodedovo airport guaranties 100-percent security
International airport Domodedovo is carrying through technical re-equipment of air-safety services. Installment of up-to-date metal detectors Metor-200 has been getting under way. The new devices allow custom officials to determine the exact location of metal things hidden on a passengers body. In this respect, Domodedovo is a base safety pattern which can be replicated throughout the territory of the Russian Federation, and the airport itself can be used as a training centre. 
www.tpnews.ru 

February 26th, 2004
President of Russian Olympic Committee approved construction
of mountain-skiing resort in Bashkiria
Construction of a European-standard mountain-skiing resort has started in the Beloretsk district of Bashkiria. Numerous tracks will be laid down along slopes of Maly Yamantau hill, in the outskirts of Inzer settlement. According to the local administrative officials, "Maly Yamantau hill has proved the only one in Russia that corresponds to European standards." The new mountain-skiing resort is planned to occupy about two hectares of the South-Ural national reserve area. The future mountain-skiing track will be as long as about six kilometers. 
www.regnum.ru 

February 25th, 2004
Akkor reached Ekaterinburg
A four-star hotel of French hotel network Akkor will appear in the centre of Ekaterinburg. According to Paolo Dubrule, the networks co-owner, the city development rates allow them to suppose that in the nearest future it will become a centre of both business and entertainment tourism. The Akkor network numbers about four thousand hotels in 140 countries of the world. Ekaterinburg is to be the second city in Russia where Akkor to come; one hotel has already been built in Moscow. 
http://www.tass.ru  


February 24th, 2005
Cable-way to be constructed in Helengik by the coming resort season
The Helengik city administration considers the cable-way a primary facility of that has exceptional importance for the whole resort area. The city authorities are working with investors to put the facility into operation by this resort season. The cable equipment has already delivered to Helendgik from Austria. The two-chair cable-way of 1400-meter long will start from the point near the newly built bus station. The terminal will be on the slope of Markotkhsky Ridge on the height of 582 meters above the sea level. The carrying capacity of the facility is planned to be 716 people an hour. Later on, a skating ring is to be constructed on the upper ground, the lower one will be converted into film-showing and concert hall. The third stage of the cable-way project provides for creation of artificial mountain-skiing track, equipping horse-back routes with modern services and utilities, and opening of mounting cycle hiring station. 
www.yuga.ru 

February 16th, 2004
Moscow authorities intend to pull down the Rossiya Hotel
A car park with a capacity of as much as several thousands of cars is supposed to be built on the place where one of the world biggest hotels has been existing for about 40 years. A large car-park is supposed to assist in solving a traffic-jam problem that nowadays has become urgent in the capital over-saturated with cars. The hotel, located in the very centre of Moscow, was put into operation in 1967. The project on pulling down the Rossiya Hotel may become the most large-scale undertaking of the sort. 
www.newsru.com 

February 16th, 2004 
Moscow awaits chess players from all over the world
It will be for the third time that the international chess tournament AEROFLOT-OPEN to take place in Moscow on February 16 to 25. The tournament organizers are the Moscow Tourism Committee, Association of Chess Federations, Russias Chess Federation, and AiroflotRussian Airlines air carrier. This year, over 600 chess players, with more than 160 grand masters among them, from 53 countries will take part in the event. 
www.tpnews.ru 

February 14th, 2004
Kuban determines ways for tourism industry further development
Managers of the Kuban largest health resorts have summed up the results of operation of the tourism industry in the year 2003 and outlined prospects for the new season. Participants of the tourism coordination council held in Sochi determined the two major economic "control sticks" to manage the industry development, which are quality of services rendered and price policy. To increase the inflow of holidaymakers to the local resorts is planned to achieve by way of reducing accommodation cost and improving the service. In the course of his meeting with President V. Putin held in Moscow A. Tkachyov, governor of the Krasnodar Territory and head of the Resort and Tourism Coordination Council, discussed creation of free economic zone along the Black-and-Azov seashore and introducing preferential system for construction of health-improving resort entities.
www.yuga.ru 

February 9th, 2004
Widely celebrated Pancake Week realized in Russian folk shows and Olympic traditions
Its for the third time that Moscow invites everyone who wishes to celebrate the Broad Pancake Week holiday to be celebrated on February 16 to 22. The major merry-making events will be developed in the Pancake Town on the Vasilievsky Slope near the Kremlin. A lot of attractions, games, competitions, concerts, round dances, skating, and, surely, tasting of pancakes cooked by Russian recipes await the guests. Since Moscow is a city-candidate for holding the 2012 Olympic Games, all the festive events will be in the form of combination of Russian folklore and Olympic traditions. For the whole week the Olympic Fire will be blazing on a huge frying pan. In the evening February 18 a competitive selection of the best "pancakers " will take place on the Vasilievsky Slope. A heap of pancakes as high as 15 meters is planned to be baked. According to Grigory Antyufeyev, head of the Moscow Tourism Committee,
the capital hopes with good reason that in some two or three years celebration of the Pancake Week will surpass such well-known and widely celebrated in the world holidays as the Rio de Janeiro Carnival or Beer Festival held in Germany. Inauguration of the holiday will take place on February 16 at 6:30 p.m. at the St. Basils Cathedral. 
www.tpnews.ru 

February 6th, 2004
Moscow investors build hotels in Uglich
In the Yaroslavl Region Uglich comes second after the regional capital in number of tourists visiting the region. Only for the last year over 150 thousand guests came there. Now, Moscow investors have been interested in the city. Construction of a 60-bed hotel has started on the Volga riverside. There is another project a three-star hotel, the Gostiny Dvor, for more people to accommodate. 
www.tpnews.ru 

February 6th, 2004
"Russia" and "Pulkovo" amalgamated 
February 3 there was a meeting of managerial people of federal air company Pulkovo and A. Neradko, head of the National Civil Aviation Service, I. Klebanov, plenipotentiary representative of RF President in the north-western district, and V. Matviyenko, governor of St. Petersburg. Decision of the RF Government on amalgamation of Pulkovo and state transport company Russia was announced at the meeting. In accordance with the decision a united federal air company, Airport Pulkovo, has been set up. The airport property of the newly established entity has been determined. 
www.tpnews.ru 

February 5th, 2004
New tourist route to go through the Nizhni Novgorod Region in 2005
In December, 2003, an agreement was signed between the Moscow, Ryazan, Vladimir, and Nizhni Novgorod Regions on cooperation in the framework of the "Small Golden Ring" programme. Tourists will get acquainted with art crafts in Russian provinces. Modern hotel complexes are planned to be built additionally in some of these cities. For those who prefer to combine sightseeing tours with active holidaymaking (say, hunting or fishing) more than dozen cottages are planned to be constructed in Semyonovo settlement during the next two years. 
www.tpnews.ru 

February 5th, 2004
A German businessman is looking for a place to built a tourist centre
One of German businessmen, who visited Ekaterinburg last October as an accompanying person in the course of Gerhard Schroders visit to Russia, intends to invest in construction of the International Tourism Centre to be established in Krasnoufimsk district of the Sverdlovsk Region. It is in this district that the regional authorities recommended the businessman to realize the project since there are no hazardous works on its territory. Besides, the area has unique natural resources. Other villages of the Region, such as Nizhserginskoye, Ust-Mash, Mariibskiye Klyuchi, and the settlement of Sarana pretend to the tourist centre with a Euro-standard hotel, motorway and car park to be constructed on their territories. 
www.tpnews.ru

February 4th, 2004
Anchor airline starts to fly to CIS countries
In February this air company in Chelyabinsk city opens a new regular flight from Domodedovo Moscow airport to Kishinyov city (capital of Moldova). Besides, very soon a regular flight on ChelyabinskTashkent (Uzbekistan) route is planned to be launched. 
www.uralpressinform.ru 

February 4th, 2004
Sibir airline started implementation of German programme
More than 50 flights a week will be carried out to six German cities just in the height of the summer season. Sibir airline increases the rate of flights from Novosibirsk, Omsk, and Barnaul cities to Hanover and Frankfurt-on-Main that have become traditional. Also, regular direct flights from west-Siberian cities will be scheduled in a number of new directions: from Omsk, Barnaul, and Novosibirsk to Munich and from Kemerovo to Hanover. 
www.tpnews.ru

February 3rd, 2004
"Zimniada" to be an international brand
President of Russia, upper officials of Russia's Government, and representatives of the large-scale business are to be invited to the Second International Baikal Festival "Zimniada 2004" (the word zimniada is derivation from "winter season" in Russian) to be held in late February. Boris Govorin, governor of Irkutsk, believes that this exclusive project must rank on a par with the Baikal Economic Forum. "The first-rank state officials must be aware of the event, and not only Russian residents but as many as possible foreigners might be as well to participate in it," he said. Over five thousand people will take part in the Festival. Eight expeditions, diving and fishing trip will be arranged for participants. Groups from Japan, Switzerland, Mongolia are expected to come. Presentation of Zimniada has already held in London, Jokohama, and Moscow. 
www.regnum.ru 

January 30th, 2004
Ancient Slavonic settlement to be an open-air museum
The first "museum of living history" is being created in the Novgorod Region. The museum centre "Slavonic village of the 10-th century" will be allocated in the Novgorod-region settlement of Lyubytino, in the Msta River side. For the last ten years Russian archaeologists dug an ancient settlement of the Slavs there. The major museum exposition is supposed to be under the open air. Fragments of ancient peoples dwelling, cult constructions, workshops of crafts traditional in the 10th century, such as pottery production and forging will be shown to tourists. 
www.tpnews.ru

January 5th, 2004
Governor to improve the city   
"In the big picture, we see our task as doing everything necessary to turn St. Petersburg into a city with a European standard of living. That means a European quality of life for citizens, developing business, creating fertile conditions to attract investment, European standards for civic rights and freedoms, freedom of the press, and more," Matviyenko said. 
Developing and fostering the city's industrial potential," is the key to developing St. Petersburg, the governor said. High technologies would play a key role. 
St. Petersburg can compete in the areas of education, the sciences, tourism and culture, the governor said. 
http://petersburgcity.com 


January 5th, 2004 
Morgan State University Choir to give a solo concert as the Arts Square festival finale
Baltimore's top-notch Morgan State University Choir, invited by Juri Temirkanov to perform at the Fifth International Winter Festival Arts Square, will give a solo concert as the festival finale, on the Christmas Eve January 7. The program of the concert that will be held in the Grand Hall of Saint-Petersburg State Philharmonia includes folk songs, spirituals and show tunes. 
The Morgan State University Choir, one of the nation's most prestigious university choral ensembles, has been led for the past 30 years by conductor Nathan Carter. The Choir's repertoire spans several centuries and includes classical, gospel, and contemporary popular music. It is also noted for its emphasis on preserving the heritage of the spiritual, especially in the historic practices of performance. 
http://petersburgcity.com 

January 5th, 2004
Politics-2003: At the Brink or on the Way?
When glasses clink and the chimes of the new year ring, everyone dreams of a richer, more successful year ahead. As we see out the old year and welcome in the new, let us recall the events and issues of 2003. . . 
Clearly, the old year was rich in big political events, both domestically and in terms of foreign policy. It all began with the preparations for the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg, Russia's Northern Capital. The Jubilee became a grand political event at the highest level. The City on the Neva welcomed the leaders of the Group of Eight and top officials of the European Union, NATO and the UN. For Russia's political and business elites, it was a welcome chance to meet foreign counterparts.
http://www.rosbaltnews.com 


January 5th, 2004
Moscow metro (subway) recognized to be the greatest sightseeing in the world
MSNBC Internet portal has published a list of ten spots worth seeing during ones life. Its curious that the Moscow metro has come into the list. Mayakovskaya, Kievskaya, and Komsomolskaya are the stations to be seen without fail. Besides, Golden City, Jaisalmer, in India, Competition of Highlanders festival held in Scotland, Way of Giants in Northern Ireland, natural and historical preserve, Hanoi restaurant Cha Ca La Vong where special-recipe dishes are cooked, lagoon Chuuk in Micronesia where the world biggest "cemetery" of sunken ships is on the ocean floor, park El Questro in Australia, the largest motorcycle race in Stergise city (USA), market in La Pas, capital of Bolivia, and Caribbean Sea near Tobago Island where one swim together with giant cramp-fishes are included in the list of greatest sights.
http://www.tpnews.ru 

January 5th, 2004
Few hotels finished race to open by May
Only three of the dozens of hotels slated to open in time for the city's 300th anniversary have opened. Even such a slow pace is revolutionary for this market. In addition to the big names, the city also gained 20 new mini-hotels. 
The 230-room, three-star Dostoyevskaya Hotel that opened at 19 Vladimirsky Prospect in early December cost around $20 million. The 93-room, five-star Grand Hotel Emerald at 18 Suvorovsky Prospect opened its doors at the end of October at a cost of $20 million. The Emerald is operated by Neval, a Russian company, and is part of Summit Hotels & Resorts. Reconstruction of the building at 4 Pochtamtskaya Ulitsa for a 100-room Renaissance hotel was completed in the fall. The cost of this project is estimated at $8 million. 
http://petersburgcity.com

December 15th, 2003
Russian Government approved agreement providing
easier reciprocal trips of Russian and German citizens
The agreement is aimed at creating favorable conditions for development and making easier of youth exchange, and mutual contacts between officials, businessmen, and workers of culture, education, and sport. In particular, the document provides for issuing visas to citizens of Germany on the base of applications put in by Russia's ministries, regional administrations (RF administrative subjects), and Russia's Chamber of Commerce to visa-executing authorities without invitations required by Article 16 of the Law (On legal status of foreigners in the Russian Federation). Permissibility of longer uninterrupted staying in Russia as compared with the one legally allowed is provided for multiple visa owners. The agreement will temporarily be in use from January 1, 2004. It is to be a module agreement in preparation of similar documents with other Shengen zone countries. 
www.rosbalt.ru  


December 15th, 2003
Getting Japanese visa by post
Mr. Masakhito Saito, Japanese consul, has a meeting in Irkutsk with heads of the Departments of Internal Affairs and Passport-and-Visa Services of the city and the region. According to Saito, recently the Baikal has become especially interesting for Japanese travelers. Since the beginning of the year, over a thousand Japanese residents have visited the Irkutsk Region. In the course of the meeting the consul stated that the enter visa issuing procedure to Russian residents wishing to make trips to Japan had been simplified. It will take only four days to get a visa if an applicant sends his/her documents by post or fax. The visa is valid for three months. 
www.tpnews.ru 

December 12th, 2003
British Airways to sign agreement with Russian air-carriers
Daniel Burkard, British Airways East Europe regional commercial director, said that his airline is planning to sign a bilateral agreement on cooperation with Russian companies Ankor, Samara, and Domodedovo Airlines. According to the agreement, all ticket offices of the mentioned Russian air-carriers get the right to sell tickets for British Airways flights. At the same time, tickets for flights of the Russian airlines will be sold out throughout the British Airways network, more than in 150 points of the world. Similar agreements British Airways has already signed with Kras-Air, Tranair, and YuTair. Besides, British Airways intends to launch London Ekaterinburg flight in 2004. 
www.tpnews.ru 

December 11th, 2003
China is interested in cooperation with Russias Far East 
The China's authorities suggested the Far-Eastern region of Russia that a bipartite tourism forum should be held. Representatives from the Tourism Committee of the Primorie Territory attended the 6-th International Ski Festival held in the province of Heilungdjan. The Khabarovsk Territory, Amur and Chita Regions, as well as representatives from the Koreas travel industry also took part in the event. Places of interest in Heilungdjan that can be attractive for travelers in winter season were shown to the guests from Russia. Presentation of tour products also took place. The Russian party was suggested that a mutual tourism forum should be held in Harbin in June, 2004, to discuss the ways to develop cooperation in tourism between the province of Heilungdjan and the Russia's Far East.
www.data.ru

December 8th, 2003
Divo-Island offers winter-season entertainments
Divo(Wonder)-Island, the largest in St. Petersburg park of entertainment and relaxation, has been built as a united infrastructure. At any season a visitor will find here over 25 side-shows, more than 30 theme games, various shows, cafes where a rich choice of dishes is offered, since, unlike other entertainment centres, Divo-Island is open all year round. The park meets the highest European standards.
www.tpnews.ru

December 8th, 2003
Fundamentals of tour-business to be taught to senior pupils in Russian schools
Throughout Russia schoolchildren will have an opportunity to get knowledge in tour-business free. Over 300 schools have been involved into the Tourism & Traveling programme of which the Achievements of Young People project provides for teaching the subject. To date, more than 1000 senior pupils from 30 schools of Moscow and St. Petersburg have got knowledge and practical skills in tourism & travelling industry.
www.tpnews.ru

December 5th, 2003
Russia and Italy prepare for signing agreement on peoples reciprocal trips
Foreign Ministries of Russia and Italy are ready to start negotiations on signing an agreement between governments of the two countries on simplification of rules for traveling of Russian and Italian citizens to each of the countries. The agreement is supposed to provide easier rules of issuing multiple long-term (for several years) visas to representative of legislative and executive-power bodies, outstanding workers of science, culture, and members of teaching staffs.
www.visas.ru 

December 4th, 2003
New image of Aeroflot conveys impression of cordiality and hospitality
On December 5, the central television launches a new promotional-image campaign initiated by Aeroflot Russia Airlines, JSC. The campaign is to be an important step in implementation of Aeroflot's re-branding project. It is aimed at changing the company's positioning. The key values the company is going to base its policy on are sincerity, cordiality and hospitality which should underline the fundamental improvements in servicing the airline has implemented.
www.tpnews.ru

December 3rd, 2003
Trip from Ekaterinburg to Chelyabinsk takes only 4 hours
On December 1, a new fast electric train (No. 874/875 ) of higher comfort started running between Ekaterinburg and Chelyabinsk. The launching of the train has been dated to opening of the practical scientific conference ?Transport Strategy of Russia held in Moscow.
www.tpnews.ru

December 3rd, 2003
More trains to run to south of Russia during New Years holidays
More than 10 additional long-distance passenger trains will be scheduled on the routes of the North-Caucasian Railway for the period from December 21, 2003, to January 12, 2004. These additional trains will run on the Moscow - Kislovodsk, MoscowAdler, MoscowNovorosisk, and Moscow - Anapa routes which are most popular in Christmas and New Years holidays.
www.tpnews.ru

December 1st, 2003
Russian President calls upon to better protection of antiquities
Vladimir Putin believes that cultural monuments and memorials of bygone times are under inadequate control and protection in the country. The situation in the sphere is far from perfect, the RF President ascertained at his meeting with historians held recently at the Russian State Library. Supervising law enforcement bodies as well as those who must exercise protection of cultural and historical monuments and memorials work badly, Putin said. The President, particularly stressing protection of the archaeological heritage, underlined that market in the field is to be made civilized, it should be transparent and clear.
www.tpnews.ru 

December 1st, 2003
Russian travel entities to be integrated into the world network
On November 25, a meeting of the Culture & Arts Council attached to the RF President administration was held at the Kremlin. Vladimir Putin and Koitiro Matsuura, UNESCO director general, took part in the event. 
Opening the meeting the leader of the state said that the event was dedicated to international aspects of the policy that Russia carries out in the field of culture and art. Integration of Russian cultural entities and tourist itineraries into the world network was mentioned as a prospective line of activity. Among particular projects are holding a big international folklore festival in Russia in the year of the 60-th anniversary of the victory in the Great Patriotic War.
www.tpnews.ru 

November 28th, 2003
Northern capital to be split into pedestrian zones
Probably, pedestrian theme zones will appear in St. Petersburg, such as Museum St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg of Dostoevsky, and Sports St. Petersburg. Valintina Matviyenko, city governor, thinks that the pedestrian zones conception will make the city more attractive for travelers. However, she noted that the idea requires additional study, particularly as to economic calculations and coordination with city traffic. 
www.tpnews.ru

November 27th, 2003
New-Years present from the Russian Railways
Beginning January 1, 2004, Russian Railways, JSC, introduces a new flexible tariff system for long-distance passenger transportation. Thus, next June or September a passenger going to his/her holidaymaking destination will be able to pay much less for the air ticket than in August. The similar system was tested in 2003 and recognized effective. The RF governmental tariff-control commission took a decision to go on working out a more flexible price-adjusting system. On December 31 a New-Years tariff will operate throughout the Russian railway network, and price for a train ticket will be reduced by 50 percent as compared with the annual average tariff. 
www.tpnews.ru

November 27th, 2003
Russian North to unite new Internet-portal
Norwegian authors of the Arkhangelsk-Geoinformation system Tourism project came to Arkhangelsk to get acquainted with activity of the regional tourism information center. They intend to consider the possibility to put the TIC-based geoinformation system into operation. Its worth noting that the TIC was established in the context of the EU program Development of tourism in the Russian part of the Barents-Sea Euro-Arctic border region.
A certain job on making up a foreign language database on executives involved in the regional foreign-economic activity and incoming tourism abilities of the Arkhangelsk region. Participants of the meeting underlined that creation of effective instrument to promote this information was the major task for the present. Both mass tourism and individual tours are planned to be promoted. 
The new information site will assist with creation of the common information network together with Russian partners in the Barents-Sea border area comprising the Arkhangelsk and Murmansk regions, and the Republic of Karelia. The parties have discussed a question of sending in the European Union an application for financing of the TIC-based Internet portal. 
www.tpnews.ru  

November 26th, 2003
In Veliki Oustyug one can take a hotel room with view to Father Frost 
A new hotel with 48-bed accommodation capacity is about to be opened in Veliki Oustug city. It is a two-storied building of brick with about 1700 sq m living area. Guests of the new hotel can feast their eyes upon the Father Frost just through the windows in their rooms, since the hotel is located directly on the territory of Father Frosts estate. 
The hotel is well-equipped and, at present, practically ready to receive guests. All the construction and finishing works have been completed, and now furnishing the rooms with refrigerators, TV-sets, beds, linen, and so on are being carried out. Travel agencies already can sell tour packages and gather tourist groups to fill up the hotel. 
www.tpnews.ru 

November 25th, 2003
Tourism in Yakutia to be developed in three stages
The Yakutian Department for Business, Tourism and Employment submitted a conception of tourism development in the republic to the republican administration for discussion. The first stage of its implementation is to be realized during the 2003-2006 period. Working out and enactment of a bill ?On governmental support of tourism and national program on development of tourism, holding a large-scale promotion campaign, construction and reconstruction of a number of tourism entities, and improvement of educational and personnel vocational training systems in tourism sphere are supposed to be done on the stage. 
The second stage (from 2006 to 2010) will be focused on attraction of investments in building-up of material and technical basis of the tourism industry. The third stage, after the year 2010, all these undertakings will be completed.
www.tpnews.ru

November 24th, 2003
Russia and the USA to sign agreement on reciprocal travels of their citizens 
The RF Ministry of Foreign Affairs is opinion that the order of inspection of foreign diplomatic representatives in American airports must be substantially facilitated. Severe examination of diplomats practiced by American airport officials violates basic provisions of the Vienna Diplomatic Intercourse Convention. As a response action an analogous inspection system has been introduced in Russian airports in respect of American diplomats. Nevertheless, in the near future Russia and the USA will confirm new agreement on visa provision of mutual trips of American and Russian people. The agreement is to define concretely visa-issuing procedures depending on an applicant category or aim of the trip. It is proposed that waiting period should be longer (up to a month) but more determined.
www.tpnews.ru  

November 24th, 2003
Russia and Estonia work out joint tour project
The authorities of Ivangorod and the Narva city administration are conducting marketing studies and juridical expertise of the project on creation of a tourist recreational water complex Narovia on the near-border territory along the Narva riverside. The project is aimed at stimulation of development of tourism in the Leningrad Region (Russia) and Ida-Virumaa district (Estonia) as one of the local economy sectors. The project has already drawn attention of the European Commission which considers it an example of true cooperation on the near-border territories of Europe and Russia. The project is being financed by the EU TACIS program.
www.tpnews.ru 

November 20th, 2003
Japanese journalists want to know more of Russia
On November 17 journalists of the leading Japanese mass media had a meeting with Grigori Antyufeyev, head of the Moscow Tourism Committee. Mr. Antyufeyev told them about the present state of Moscow tourism, new tourism programs being worked, such as "Wreath of Russian Estates" and "Golden Ring of Moscow", about capitals participation in development of tourism industry in the neighbouring regions. The annually celebrated traditional festival Pancake Week has drawn the most attention of Japanese journalists. They also interested in ecology, security, Moscow taxi operation, the ways the traffic jams problem is solved, implementation of the Moscow-City project, and financing of projects that are aimed at creation of new tourism products. The journalists expressed their wish to meet in future with top Moscow officials, representatives of Russian tourism business, their colleagues from Russian mass media, and to practically get acquainted with tourist itineraries.
www.tpnews.ru  

November 19th, 2003
Businessmen of Omsk city rent local forests for tourism purposes
To rent woods to businessmen is new undertakings in the Omsk region. Participants of open competitions are to represent their proposals on using and accomplishment of forests and to give information about the probable investments. The rent is possible for two purposes round-wood harvest and sports-and-tourist activity. Local businessmen do not intend to fell trees. Instead, they are going to accomplish clearings to hold tourist gatherings, competitions, to lay routs and grounds for sports games, paintball, for instance. The rent amount is established by the forestry administration. 
www.tpnews.ru

November 17th, 2003
Visa question was the main point at the RussiaEU summit in Rome
Russia and the EU have agreed to study the terms of visa-free trips as a long-range outlook. This provision has been fixed in the final Russia-EU summit mutual statement. Besides, an agreement was achieved that pliancy allowable by the Shengen Agreement is to be studied to simplify across-border mutuality-based traveling in the near future. Chairman of the Italian Ministry Council Silvio Berluskoni finds the Russia-EU visa problem to be an anachronism and calls upon overcoming it in the near future. He stated that the European Union was striving for full abolition of visas for Russia. According to him, the summit closely discussed liberalization of visa regulations for some categories of people and possibilities for absolute abolishing visas in the long-term outlook. We understand that visas are what hampers development of tourism and cooperation, Berluskoni said. He expressed his regret that a six-month period while Italy is in the EU chair is not enough to solve the problem.
But we gave impetus to the matter, particularly in issuing visas free and in a shorter amount of time to some categories of people, first of all to students, youth, and representatives of economic and cultural community, he said. Romano Prodi, chairman of the European Commission, believes that ?the visa-related situation hasn't yet found the way to be solved, but the work in this line is going on to create a more prospective instrument for cooperation. 
www.tpnews.ru  

November 17th, 2003
Switzerland included Russia in its promotional campaign 
The Swiss national travel corporation has launched its new winter campaign "Snow Time". Its for the first time that Russia is among the countries where Swiss winter holidaymaking opportunities will be promoted. Mr. Federico Sommaruga, director for Russia and CIS countries in Switzerland Tourism, said it was not at random that the time for the campaign in Russia had been chosen; political and economic stability was a major factor in favour of it. Increasingly more Russians can afford traveling abroad. Holidaymaking in Europe becomes prestigious and obligatory for middle-class population in Russia, he noted. In the previous winter season the number of Russian travelers in Switzerland increased by 10 percent. 75 percent of those who come to the country from Russia are individuals that prefer to stay at 4- and 5-star hotels. On average, Russian tourists, when on holiday, spend about 400 to 500 Francs a day which only for one last winter season brought 50 million Swiss Francs to the receiving country.
Today more than 50 mountain skiing resorts of Switzerland are open for travelers from every country of the world. Besides traditional kinds of recreation snow-shoes hikes, the newest winter trend which has gained wide popularity, are offered. At present, one pair of snow-shoes falls on every 10 pairs of skis sold in Switzerland. In the country there are 25 certified family resorts and 91 children snow villages fit to family holidaymaking. There are also mountain-skiing training schools with Russian speaking instructors. 
www.tpnews.ru  

November 14th, 2003
Another entertainment centre appeared in Moscow
Fantasy Park, a family relaxation centre, has been opened in Mariono, one of Moscow housing estates (microdistricts). The centre covers an area of six thousand sq. m. Up to two thousand people a day are supposed to visit it. The construction of Fantasy Park took a year and a half. A fast servicing cafe with accommodation capacity of 120 people at a time is on the first level (flour) of the centre, and on the second one there is a virtual movie theatre, motor-racing circuit for 10 electrical vehicles, children's railway, and 50 gambling machines. Bowling halls, billiard tables, nine gambling machines, and karaoke-bar are on the third level. The fourth level is a paradise for rollers. Construction of a mini-aquapark is planned to start near the centre early next year; it will be the second line of the Fantasy Park. 
www.tpnews.ru  

November 13th, 2003
Moscow - Ulyanovsk flight opened
On November 10 Volga-Dnepr airline opened a new passenger flight on the route Moscow-Ulyanovsk-Moscow. The flights will be carried out by Yak-40 planes, on Tuesday and Thursday. From Moscow the flight starts at 10:40 a.m., from Ulyanovsk at 5:30 p.m. These are additional flights to daily ones. Volga-Dnepr carries out regular and charter carriages from Ulyanovsk, where the airline is quartered, Moscow, and Nizhni Novgorod providing regular air communication between these cities. Last October Volga-Dnepr also opened a flight between Moscow and Penza cities. 
www.tpnews.ru  

November 13th, 2003
Within the next few years Yar restaurant to be changed beyond recognition 
The restaurant is about to conclude a consulting contract with Alen Ducass French restaurant. On October 21-23 representatives of Ducass training centre visited Yar for preliminary inspection. The cuisine and menu of the restaurant were estimated by the inspectors as high as at 4.7 points (on 5-point scale), service at 5 points. Ducass company will advise Yar on menu, kitchen facilities, disposition of key personnel in the restaurant, train the personnel, introduce some changes in marketing strategy and in interior design. As a result of this expensive consulting services we want to offer our guests something that nobody has offered so far, Valeri Maximov, Director General of Yar restaurant, comments. According to V. Maximov, Ducass team offered to introduce the F&B system similar to one Alen Ducass restaurant at the Plaza Athenee Hotel in Paris has been applied in. Besides, the French partners will soon work out three financial plans for one, two, and three years.
Elaboration of Alen Ducass authors menu of the house will cost 50 thousand euros to the restaurant, and personnel training 60 thousand euros. As a result of all these innovations Yar will change into a gastronomical restaurant, possibly with French chief. Only 10 to 12 dishes of the highest quality will be served at the exclusive Mirror Hall, and wine room will appear. The spacious lobby of the Sovetski Hotel adjoining the old-fashioned building of Yar restaurant experts advised to turn into an exquisitely furnished gallery with a bar having an aperitif area and serving special dishes including tea and breakfast a la carte. According to the plan proposed, the Green Bar is to have a spacious breakfast area buffet, and the room-service will have a movable mini-restaurant for in-room deliveries. The delegation noted the great potential of Yar restaurant which can get three stars of Michlen. 
www.tpnews.ru

November 10th, 2003
Aeroflot the best brand of the year in Russia 
Aeroflot Russian Airlines air carrier became a silver award winner of the sixth national competition (Brand of the Year/EFFIE 2003 in Facilities and Service category (in transport section). The golden prize was not adjudged to anybody this time. The recognition of Aeroflots achievements in marketing communications by the community of professional advertisers is a result of the companys work on re-branding. The competition (Brand of the Year/EFFIE) is conducted every year to bring to light the companies that have achieved the best results in advancing their brands in the Russian market. 
For the first time the competition was held in 1998, and then Aeroflot went second in the category (BrandService). This year, over 200 brands represented on Russian market took part in the competition; they pretended to victory in 28 categories and three Grand Prix nominations. In 2001, the Russian national (Brand of the Year) competition entered the international network of the EFFIE competitions where the world most prestige award in marketing and advertising is adjudged. The EFFIE competitions are conducted in 19 countries. 
According to Valeri Akulov, Director General of JSC Aeroflot Russian Airlines, at present the air carrier owns the most cognate Russian brand in the world which is the most important constituent of capitalization of the national carrier and pledge of its success on the market. 
Source: www.tpnews.ru  

November 7th, 2003
British Airways passengers to be disposed comfortably in Domodedovo airport
On October 30 British Airways opened a waiting room in Domodedovo airport for business-class Club Europe passengers and for members of the Executive Club of frequently flying passengers. It worth reminding that last June British Airways moved up its flights to Domodedovo International Airport aiming at providing better comfort and more convenient infrastructure for passengers. 
Now, before-boarding services offered to passengers by British Airways meet the world standards. In the newly opened waiting hall in Domododedovo of 250 sq m area one can combine rest and work; not only to relax and recreate can passengers there but also to solve their urgent business problems, to conduct meetings and talks, and to use fax, copying, and e-mail and Internet-access facilities.
www.tpnews.ru  

November 7th, 2003
Hotel network appear in the Moscow region
The local authorities are planning to ?tie around the whole region with network of motels and hotels. In the nearest three years on the territory of the Moscow region several tens of mini-motels for middle-class travelers will be raised, the Regions of Russia news agency reports. 
New recreation sites will appear practically in every municipal formation; today administrative bodies of 16 districts in the region have agreed to allocate plots for the future establishments. New two- and three-star inns will be erected on the main roads (Leningradskoe, Minskoe, Simferopolskoe, and other motor roads) which connect the capital region with other regions of Russia. 
Besides, hotels with at-a-time accommodation capacity for 200 to 300 people are planned to be built within the bounds of traditionally popular recreational areas. The existing recreation departments that do not satisfy the todays tourists needs any longer are supposed to be reconstructed. According to experts, the development of infrastructure meant for mass tourism will make week-ends in a healthy natural environment available for majority of residents of both the capital and its region. 
www.tpnews.ru  

November 6th, 2003
Tretyakov Gallery issued the ?Golden map of Russia
Four Hundred of artists works, treasure of 26 national museums, have been collected under the cover of the exclusive edition (Golden map of Russia). Masterpieces of Russian art. The album has been published under the aegis of the Tretyakov State Gallery, the Novosti news agency reports. For this edition the Tretyakov Gallery has been nominated for competition of the RF National Prize in literature and arts. 
The Album has no analogues among domestic art editions. Never before exhibits of various epochs from museums of all-over-the-country have been brought together. Nine centuries of the art are embraced in the book: ancient Russian icons, classic canvases, vanguard works. For Muscovites and travelers from other regions of the country and abroad the ?Golden map of Russia is a rare chance to evaluate the riches of the whole Russia, from its Far Eastern part to the Russian North, not leaving the capital.

November 6th, 2003
Italians ready to pay US$20 thousand for tour to the North Pole
The Murmansk region intends to attract extreme tourism fans from Italy, the Rosbalt news agency reports. Yuri Yevdokimov, governor of the region, finds tourism to be an ?interesting business. Besides catching salmon from (wild rivers Italian tourists will be offered to make a cruise to the North Pole on board of nuclear-powered ice-breaker. This kind of tourism, the governor says, is in grate demand among foreigners. The cost of a 10-day tour is from 17 to 22 thousand USD per person.
Its worth reminding that the Days of the RF North-Western Region festival is now being held in Italy. 
www.rosbalt.ru  

November 6th, 2003
Russia builds European standard resort centre in Alushta
The National Reserve Bank (NRB) has completed construction of the first line of the sanatorium-resort complex in Alushta city (the Crimea). It is not only the first resort complex on the Black Seaside that meet all European active recreation standards, but also the largest Russian investment project implemented in the Crimea for the last 10 years. 
The total area of all the structures on the territory of a unique park is over 40 thousand sq m. The complex comprises 10 separate buildings, including the health-improving centre, five swimming pools, restaurants, bowling, discotheque, and many other facilities. With putting the first line of the complex into operation, the total amount of NRBs in the Ukraine will achieve over US%350 million, Vlasti.net web site informs. Completion of the second line of the project including the largest aquapark in the CIS has been set for next May. 
www.tpnews.ru

November 3rd, 2003
There comes reform of foreign passports 

Russian senators suggest that validity period of foreign passports should be extended from five to ten years. The Federation Council has worked out appropriate amendments to the Federal Law "On primary documents that prove Russian Federation residents identity," the Izvestiya newspaper writes. According to Nikolai Tulayev, member of the FC that represents the Kaliningrad region and one of the law authors, the reform of foreign passports to be carried out to bring them to conformity with European standards will start, to all appearance, not earlier than in 10 years.
www.tpnews.ru 

November 3rd, 2003
K-3 submarine to be a museum

Launched in 1957 the first Russian atomic submarine K-3 has been delivered to the shipyard in Polyarny city for utilization. However, the renowned submarine which was the first to reach the North Pole will be kept "alive." The government met the wishes of veterans-submariners and complied with their request to convert the atomic-powered vessel into floating museum, the ITAR-TASS news agency reports. The nuclear reactor compartment in K-3 will be cut out and replaced by a plaster cast. The submarine will be re-transported to St. Petersburg where it will be anchored forever. All the works to be done to turn the vessel into museum are to be finished by the 100-th anniversary of the Russian submarine fleet to be celebrated in 2006. A part of funds for reconstruction will be appropriated by the federal government, the rest of the sum needed is expected to be given by patrons of art. 
www.tpnews.ru 

November 1st, 2003
To Internet through a city tax-phone

In November Internet tax-phone will appear in Moscow. Apart from other places the devices are supposed to be installed at cinemas and airports. One will be able to use the tax-phones for vocal communication, access to the Internet and e-mail. Besides, text and multimedia messages can be sent through these devices, the Rosbalt news agency reports. 
www.tpnews.ru 

October 31st, 2003 
Morning-hour express Petersburg - Moscow

In early November the third EP-200 train will start running between St. Petersburg and Moscow. Today, two such fast trains are running on the route but both leave in the evening. The third one will leave St. Petersburg at 7:10 a.m. and arrive to Moscow at 11:40 a.m. The time of start from Moscow is 7:25 a.m. The morning express will run thrice a week. The new train is made up of additional carriages of the two other morning trains. In the near future the train will be put into the schedule, Fontanka.ru website informs. 
www.tpnews.ru 

October 30th, 2003
Five-star hotel Emerald opened in St. Petersburg. Tour groups cant stay there

The Emerald Grand-Hotel is opened on Suvorovsky Avenue of the city on the Neva River, the Rosbalt news agency reports. Kurt Ropers, general manager of the hotel, said that it was the fifth five-star hotel in St. Petersburg, and the most progressive decisions in terms of furnishing interiors, design and technical innovations had been realized in it. The hotel has 93 rooms, of which 59 are standard-class ones and the rest are business-class rooms, junior suits, three-room suits, and Presidential and King-class suits. The hotel is equipped with the best in the city video-watching security system, climate-control air-conditioning system, and up-to-date fire safety system. Each room has autonomous air conditioning and heating systems, electronic safe, mini-bar with free soft drinks, and television working in one of the most advantageous interactive and satellite TV system.
Besides, access to the Internet is provided for in each of the rooms. "We dont receive tourist groups any more, that is why other hotels in the city is more likely to be our colleagues than competitors," said market director Sergey Yablonsky. The project is financed by Russian and foreign investors, including the German Bank. The total amount of investments is US$20 million. The pay-back period is expected to be 10 years. This is the first hotel in Russia to be a member of the Association of independent hotels Summit Hotels & Resorts which unites today 145 hotels from allover the world. 
www.rosbalt.ru

October 27, 2003
Getting Russian citizenship simplified

The RF State Duma has simplified the procedure of obtaining Russian citizenship. According to the amendments worked out by the deputies, citizens of the former Soviet Union who was born in the Russian Federation and now living on the territory of the former Soviet Republics have the right to get Russian citizenship without the obligatory five-year living in Russia. The preferential order of obtaining Russian citizenship is applied to disabled parents of adult children who are Russian citizens, war and labour veterans, as well as to graduates from states of the former USSR. This rile is also applicable to the military of CIS countries who have served on contract in Russia for three years and more. According to the ORT television channel, the amendments were adopted unanimously in all three readings. 
www.tpnews.ru  

October 27, 2003
Investors to build hotels in Moscow

All hotels in Moscow are to be constructed only at the expense of investors. During the two next years 21 new hotels will appear in the metropolis. The star category will be determined by the demand alone. That is why there is no problem of whether economic or superior class hotels are to be constructed first; investors wont invest in what wont be in demand in future. As to alleged remarks that the capital is lacking for means of accommodation Grigory Antyufeev, city vice governor, said that he knew no fact that someone of tourists had been left overnight without a roof over his/her head. For the time being, fillability of Moscow hotels is far from 100%. Yet the shortage of hotel rooms will become palpable as soon as in the immediate future.
www.tpnews.ru 

October 25, 2007
Sweden ready to finance St. Petersburg guests card 

According to Marina Beskrovnaya, head of the Committee for Tourism of St. Petersburg city administration, SIDA, Swedish international development agency, will invest two million Krones in elaboration of the ?St. Petersburg guests card project. This tourist project is to allow travelers to visit city museums, to use public transport including Metro, to make round city motor-boat tours free of charge, and to get discounts when visiting private museums. The project conception will be completely worked out, as the plan envisages, by July, 2004. First cards will appear by the 2005 tourist season. The cost of the card will be close to the one of European analogues and, as preliminary accounts show, will come to about US$50 for three days, Fontanka.ru website informs. 
www.tpnews.ru

October 24, 2003
Railway stations in Russia armed against terrorists

Passenger, small and heavy luggage inspection zones to detect arms, ammunition, and explosives have been created at 119 railway stations in Russia, the Novosti news agency reports. All the technical equipment to provide passenger safety has been introduced at the expense of the railway services and handed over for exploitation to the RF Ministry of the Internal Affairs. Besides, at 80 stations of the Russian railway network television devices have been installed in places of mass accumulation of people to prevent any breaking of the law. 295 telephone sets capable of determining phone numbers of persons anonymously informing the police about supposedly possible terrorist acts have been installed at railway station-based police offices.
www.tpnews.ru 

News line archive here

October 21, 2003
Middle Ural prepares for mountain-skiing season and looks forward to seeing V. Putin 

Mountain-skiing centers of the Middle Ural have been preparing for the forthcoming season. Active mountain skiing can start as early as in a month, the New Region news agency reports. At the moment the routs, elevators, and sports equipment are checked. Mountain-skiing centers equipped with artificial snow producing installations will be able to receive first skiers in the mid of November. Totally there are 13 mountain-skiing centers in the Middle Ural. New winter resorts in the area are expected to become attractive for both Russian and foreign mountain skiing fans. Today, construction of another mountain skiing resort has started on Belaya Mountain. According to the project it will be a VIP-class resort. A zone for high-level mountain skiing competitions and for recreation of VIPs is envisaged by the project. 
Then, President V. Putin will be able to go to ski not only to Sochi and the Chelyabinsk region, but to the Middle Ural as well, some officials from the local administration say. The construction of the new mountain skiing centre will cost about US$9 million.
www.tpnews.ru

October 20, 2003
Greatest jazz musicians at the "Baltic-Jazz-2003" festival

The greatest jazz musicians are coming to the "Baltic-Jazz-2003" festival, which will take place in the "Yubileiny" sports complex on October 29. Among them - Joe Zawinul and Eduardo Palmieri, Doo-Bop Sound band, Dadafon band and others. Joe Zawinul is certainly the most famous of the guests. Arguably the fusion player of his or any other generation, Joe Zawinul has a catalogue of work spanning several decades. His innovative and unique synthesizer playing has never resorted, unlike his contemporaries, to amusing novelty, easy funk, a million notes a minute.
www.petersburgcity.com

October 18, 2003
Most Complete Works of Pushkin in English Given to Russian National Library

The Russian National Library in St. Petersburg has received as a gift the complete works of Russian poet Alexander Pushkin in fifteen volumes in English. The British Consulate in St. Petersburg told Rosbalt that the gift was presented by former Member of Parliament Ian Sprout. The works were prepared on the initiative of Sprout, who engaged in fund raising necessary to see the project completed. He also fulfilled the role of publisher and chief editor. The idea to publish the works of Pushkin in English came to Sprout when he saw a poster on near Piccadilly Circus in London with information about an exhibition devoted to the 150th anniversary of the death of Pushkin. With the help of Russian, English and American literary critics, he compiled different translations and selected the best. As a result, the most complete collection of the works of Pushkin in English was published.
www.rosbaltnews.com

October 17, 2003
Chinese export art in the Hermitage

The exhibition of the Chinese export art in the Menshikov Palace explores cultural contacts between China and the West. It showcases over 200 exhibits, including jewelry, metalwork, carved bone, porcelain, wallpapers, fabrics, drawings and "applied" paintings, showing cultural contacts between China and Western Europe, South East Asia and Russia. Chinese masters created Chinese export art for foreign customers and domestic market, gaining popularity throughout the world. The Europeans coming to China, commercial companies and missionaries encouraged the development of export art. The exhibition explores various production centers and techniques used by Chinese masters.
www.hermitage.ru

October 17, 2003
"Lord of the Dance" in Saint-Petersburg

Choreographer and dancer Michael Flatley brings his "Lord of the Dance" show in the Ledovy Palace today, on October 24-25. Six years ago famous choreographer and dancer Michael Flatley devised a show, where he united elements of folk Irish dances and medieval mysteries with avant-garde dances and modern light effects. Flatley has turned from a dancer into a businessman controlling his successful project - Lord of the Dance show. He created it in 1996, when he quarreled with producers of another world-famous show - Riverdance. The project called Lord of the Dance became popular. It triumphantly toured around the world. About 7 million spectators visited the show. There are four Lord of the dance troupes now: one in Europe and Asia, the second one - in Las Vegas, the third one - in the Disneyworld in Florida, and the fourth one tours permanently around the USA. They unite 200 dancers, whose average age is 21-22. Flatley holds castings himself and selects artists for his show.
www.petersburgcity.com

October 16, 2003
The Hermitage exhibition of the works of Eduardo Chillida has opened

The exhibition of the works of Eduardo Chillida has been opened in the Foyer of the Hermitage Theater. The exhibition has been organized by the State Hermitage Museum jointly with the Embassy of Spain in Russia, acting on behalf of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, and the Museo Chillida-Leku. The Hermitage exhibition is the first display in Russia of the works of Eduardo Chillida (1924-2002), the prominent Spanish sculptor and graphic artist of the 20th century. The retrospective show includes over 30 works spanning the period from 1954 to 1997. These are sculptures made from steel and terra cotta, drawings that the master himself called "gravitations", and books. What they have in common is music, which had a vital importance for the outstanding Spanish sculptor. The Spanish organizers have issued a catalogue of the exhibition. The artist's son Ignacio Chillida and the Spanish curator Marisa Oropesa proposed the idea of exhibition. The Russian curator is D.Ozerkov from the Hermitage Department of West European Art, which has prepared the show.
www.hermitage.ru

October 16, 2003
Russian Population May Be Halved within 70 Years

The Russian population is dwindling by 0.7% every year. If this process continues then the population will be halved within the next 70 years. These figures were made public at the international forum Quality of life: collaboration between science, power, business and community. It was also mentioned that the health of the Russian population started deteriorating rapidly at the beginning of the 1990s and the death rate is now 50% higher than it was in the middle of the 1980s. The birth rate has also halved. The situation in the Central and North-West Federal Districts is particularly alarming. Here the population is dwindling by over 1% each year. Such figures usually signal a humanitarian catastrophe and the extinction of a whole species.
www.rosbaltnews.com

October 16, 2003
The new St Petersburg governor was inaugurated yesterday

New Saint Petersburg Governor Valentina Matvienko was inaugurated yesterday. In her inauguration speech she thanked the citizens of the city, politicians and especially Russian President Vladimir Putin for the 'political and moral support.' Matvienko promised to continue all the positive undertakings of the previous city administration. 'Saint Petersburg should become the business card of European Russia for the whole world. We should become not a window, but a gate to Europe,' she said. According to Matvienko the only thing that could prevent the realization of this goal, is 'social passiveness and lack of faith in one's own strength.' Matvienko intends to 'use the valuable experience of Moscow Mayor Yuri Luzhkov.' Matvienko thanked the Saint Petersburg City Assembly 'for constructive mutual activity.'
www.petersburgcity.com

October 15, 2003
Information center for Iranian goods and services opens in Saint Petersburg

The first ever permanent information center for Iranian goods and services opened in Saint Petersburg yesterday. The center is aimed at developing ties between the two countries and raising the level of Iranian goods exported to Russia. Deputy Iranian Trade Minister Mojtaba Khasro Taj announced this at the opening ceremony. He said that 'Iranian companies have experience and may compete on the Russian oil and gas market' as well as develop Russian-Iranian collaboration in the areas of waste disposal and treatment.
www.petersburgcity.com

October 14, 2003
Why holidaymaking in Russia becomes more attractive?

According to the results of the poll held on www.tpnews.ru website, nearly half of those who visited the site (48.8 percent) believe that the traveling-to-Russia boom in this year is accounted for gradual improvement of the tourist infrastructure in the country. 18.6 percent of Russian respondents said that they hadn't left the country because of the Iraqi war and SARS epidemic. Introduction of the united European currency practically had no influence on the choice made by Russian tourists; only 4.7 percent think that Euro prevented them to make their holidays in Spain or Croatia.
www.tpnews.ru

October 14, 2003
The EU assigns means to Russia to modernize the customs system

In 2003-2004 the EU will contribute one million euros to retrofit the customs system of Russia. The agreement on the matter was achieved in the course of the talks that were held between the Head of the RF State Customs Committee (SCC) Mikhail Vanin and top officials of the EU Commission on Tax and Customs Affairs in Brussels. Besides, the parties have come to an agreement about primary measures aiming at unification of customs-related documents - the EU unified administrative regulations and the Russian freight customs declaration, as well as about closing in transit systems which will provide creation of a united transit procedure for Russia and the EU, the Novosti news agency reports. "Solving of this important task will substantially simplify customs formalities that are to be observed when goods cross the border and will result in sizable reduction of costs born by carriers and, on the whole, it will create more favorable conditions for international economic cooperation," officials from the SCC underlined.
www.tpnews.ru

October 14, 2003
Through Europe to Ekaterinburg by "East Express"

The renowned train "East Express," furnished in the style of early-last-century passenger trains, now carries tourists up to Ekaterinburg. The ancestor of the present-day "East Express" (under the same name) was launched in 1883 and run between Paris and Constantinople (now Istanbul) and then between Paris and Budapest. Twice a week the train brought passengers to Bucharest. Only recently the train has been restored, the Regions of Russia news agency reports. The restorers have toiled at renewal of the unique 1925-29 cars for a long time; they did their best to get back the unique interiors. Nowadays, once a month the "East Express" delivers about 150 passengers to Ekaterinburg. Running through Europe, the train picks up passengers from everywhere. On the RF territory the train runs through Moscow, cities of the Golden Ring and a number of other cities. Travel from Germany to the Ural takes five days. After that the passengers-tourists come back to Europe.
www.tpnews.ru

October 14, 2003
New air route, St. Petersburg - Copenhagen, launched

This new airline will connect St. Petersburg with capital of Denmark. It is not a direct flight; on its way the airliner will land in Kaliningrad. According to Avia.ru website, three flights a week have been scheduled - by Thursdays, Fridays, and Sundays. In wintertime the number of flights is to be increased up to four.
www.tpnews.ru

October 14, 2003
Special tariff - a New Year's present from Railway Ministry

On December 31, on the New Year's tariff a train ticket for carriage with numbered reserved seats will cost percent less expensive, and for compartment and sleeping cars it will be twice as cheap as compared to last year prices. The Railway Ministry is planning to use a flexible discount system in future. On average, 166 days a year prices for train tickets will be lower than the usual prices during the rest part of the year. Reduction of tariffs will be introduced mainly on pre-holiday and state holidays, as well as for the mass vacation periods, Yuga.ru website informs.
www.tpnews.ru

October 14, 2003
Lenin mausoleum to be closed temporarily

On November 10 the Lenin mausoleum will be closed for about two months. The reason is routine maintenance that is carried out regularly once a year. Last time the mausoleum closed for the same purpose in spring 2002. Then, as usual, specific biochemical works to maintain Vladimir Lenin's body were done. Experts of the Research Biomedical Technologies Center (VILAR) are responsible for keeping the embalmed dead body. Deputy director of the Center Yuri Denisov-Nikolsky says that Lenin's dead body is "in excellent state, and at proper care it can lie further in the mausoleum for at least as long as 100 years." Besides the mausoleum in Russia the similar burial-vaults with dead bodies of communist leaders are only in Asian countries, namely in Nanking and Peking (China), Hanoi (Vietnam), and Pyongyang (North Korea).
www.tpnews.ru

October 14, 2003
New entertainment program for guests of the Father Frost's native land

Father Frost's Native Land, JSC, are preparing to receiving guests during the forthcoming winter season. Besides the New Year's festive events one more holiday will be marked there - five-year anniversary of the program "Veliki Ustug - Father Frost's Native Land." In the context of this first jubilee a new entertainment program, Path of Fairy Tales, will be solemnly opened. In 2002, the Father Frost totally received in his estate 109,538 guests, and 82 thousand guests were received for nine past months of the current year. The hospitable Father Frost, as the SeverInform reports, held more than 1100 festive events and game programs.
www.tpnews.ru

October 9, 2003
Exhibition "Leisure'2003" in Moscow

A news conference dedicated to opening of the 9th International Tourist Exhibition "Leisure'2003" took place at the Ararat-Park Khaiyatt Hotel. The exhibition was organized by the Russsian President's Administrative Department, the state unitary enterprise "President-Hotels and Health Centers of Russia," Austrian exhibition company M.S.I., and JSC "Euroexpo." It took place at Olympiysky Sports Center from October 15 to 18. 850 companies from 59 countries participated in the event. Numerous expositions reflected all aspects and lines of the modern tourism and travel business: adventure, environmental, treatment-and-health-improvement, excursion and educational, pilgrim and event-dedicated kinds of tourism, and mountain skiing, cruises, and beach relaxation as well. The Russian representation at the exhibition was much larger this year; all 89 regions took part in the exposition. For the first time Tourism Ministries from Tanzania, Qatar, Slovakia, and the Association of Travel Agencies of Thailand were represented at the exhibition. The Israeli Ministry for Tourism also participated after its last year's fail to attend.
www.tpnews.ru

October 7, 2003
Moscow region invites investors to construct hotels

On October 7, Oleg Dolzhenko, head of the Moscow region Committee for Tourism, summed up the overall results of the International Forum "The Moscow Region: Vacation and Tourism" held in late September. The Kaluga, Kaliningrad, Ryazan, and Tver regions, and Stavropol Territory and Lithuania took part in the Forum. The conference "Prospects for Tourism Infrastructure Development in Moscow Region," round-table discussions, seminars and presentations of the regional tourist resources were held in the course of the Forum. The round-table talks on investments and innovations in the tourist-receiving sector of the Moscow region economy were of the greatest interest. It's for the first time that the matter was so widely discussed. The potential investors were acquainted with projects on construction of tourist objects in the region. Nine investment projects, mainly construction of hotels were represented altogether.
www.tpnews.ru

October 13, 2003
St. Petersburg Open, one of the major sport events of the year

St. Petersburg Open, one of the major ATP International Series tournaments and one of the favorite for most of the sportsmen, will be held on October 20-26 in SCC "Peterburgsky". It has become a tradition to hold the Tournament annually every autumn in St. Petersburg. Not every Tournament can boast the variety of players. Around 52,000 spectators visit the Tournament every year. And millions of tennis fans follow the Tournament on TV in more than 200 countries. St. Petersburg Open is a popular and world-known sport event. It has received three ATP awards: "Record Attendance" in 1999, "Promotion and Marketing" in 2001 and "Best Operation" in 2002. Such players as Gustavo Kuerten, Safin Marat and Kafelnikov Yevgeny are coming to play in the tournament.

October 10, 2003
"Paterson" plans to open new supermarkets in Saint-Petersburg in 2004

Paterson, Moscow based company, is planning to open 32 supermarkets in Russia, among them two new supermarkets in Saint-Peterburg. Total investments in expanding the network of Paterson supermarkets are expected to come to USD 25-27 million. General Director of Paterson Yuri Yakovchik announced that several supermarkets will be opened in Russia by the end of 2003. Two supermarkets will be opened in both Saint Petersburg and Moscow and supermarkets will also open in Ufa, Kazan and Penza. There are currently fifteen Paterson supermarkets in Moscow and five more in Saint Petersburg, Tver, Samara and Liubertsi.
www.petersburgcity.com

October 10, 2003
8th "Defile at Neva"

The 8th "Defile at Neva" is held in the restored mansion of chancellor Alexander Andreyevich Bezborodko in Pochtamtskaya str.,7 on October 9-13. Such famous Saint-Petersburg designers as Irina Tansturina, Lilya Kiselenko, Larisa Pogoretskaya, Natalya Mekler, Lena Starikova, Lybov Voyush, Yury Malashenko, Ilya Chelyshev, Tanya Kotegova take part in the show. The main intrigues of the event are Alexander Arngoldt and designers from Lithuania. Editors of fashion magazines, fashion-columnists, clients, fashionistats and beautiful public are welcomed to admire the highlights of the program: new collections of modellers and a show-room (on October 13). 3-4 collections of debutants and masters are presented on the podium daily.
www.peterout.ru

October 9, 2003
Finland Mints Commemorative Coin in Honour of Saint Petersburg

Finland has decided to mint a EUR 10 coin bearing the image of Gustaf Mannerheim, the so-called "Marshal of Finland", in honour of Saint Petersburg's 300th anniversary. This was announced by the press office of the Finnish consulate in Saint Petersburg. One side of the coin has a portrait of Marshal Gustaf Mannerheim while the other side of the coin will have an image of the Peter and Paul Fortress with the inscription Saint Petersburg 1703-2000. Marshal Mannerheim underwent military training in Russia and was initially an officer in the Russian imperialist army in Saint Petersburg. When Finland became an independent country in 1917 he returned to his homeland and became Commander-in-Chief of the Finnish army. He held this position again during the Winter War of 1939-1940.
www.rosbaltnews.com


October 7, 2003
Non-smoking Contest

The competition will target 12- to 13-year-old students who experience "an explosion" of interest in smoking, representatives of the Northwest Public Council to Fight Underage Smoking said. Under the rules of the competition, every student in a class must sign an obligation that he or she will not smoke for six months. If the dropout rate exceeds 10 percent of students in a class, the class is disqualified. Classes that stay smoke-free will be able to participate in a lottery with prizes ranging from 3,000 to 30,000 rubles ($99 to $990), the agency reported.
www.petersburgcity.com


October 3, 2003
9th Congress of the Russian Tourism Industry Union

Locals agree that St. Petersburg is beautiful in autumn, but most foreign and out-of-town Russian tourists prefer to go elsewhere at this time of year. To coincide with the important occasion of the city's 300th anniversary, local authorities are making an effort to schedule as many national and international events into the diary as possible, with some of them in fall, usually a low season for traveling. The 9th Congress of the Russian Tourism Industry Union held this week in St. Petersburg - for the first time in the history of the organization - is a case in point. It is a precious opportunity for Russia's leading travel agencies - many of which are based in Moscow - to see St. Petersburg's charm in the fall, Sergei Korneyev, the union's vice-president and head of its Northwest Region branch was quoted as saying. The congress drew over 400 travel industry professionals from throughout Russia. They discussed the major problems in the field, including the visa regime, development of national resorts and fighting corruption. St. Petersburg is still a very season-dependent city, with travelers coming by crowds during the White Nights. The first attempt at restoring the long-lost tradition of splendid winter seasons in St. Petersburg and to provide balance to the high season in winter - the Arts Square Festival at the Shostakovich Philharmonic - was held in December 2000. Now, local tour operators promote it with much enthusiasm in addition to the Stars of the White Nights summer festival, which has already received worldwide recognition. The northern capital's finer hotels are also chipping in to help make St. Petersburg the place to visit in winter. White Days - a winter alternative to the White Nights festival - was launched last year to offer visitors discounted cultural package deals that include food and lodging. The Grand Hotel Europe has joined together with four other leading St. Petersburg hotels - the Angleterre, Astoria, Radisson SAS and Sheraton Nevskij Palace - to offer White Days weekend packages, including a three-night stay in one of the hotels, a buffet breakfast daily, limousine service to and from the airport and tickets to the Hermitage and the Mariinsky Theater. The event is known around Europe, attracting stars such as pianist Yevgeny Kissin and soprano Barbara Hendricks, and guests coming to town specifically to be here for the Arts Square, Alla Shpanskaya, director of local Radio Classica, was quoted as saying.
www.petersburgcity.com

October 2003
State Hermitage Museum: "St.Petersburg in Photographs"

An exhibition "St.Petersburg in Photographs" is being hold in the State Hermitage Museum (rooms 28-32 by Saltykov Entrance). On view there are about 650 photographs by famous Russian and European masters representing view of St.Petersburg in 1840th-1920th with architectural and sculptural monuments, many of them have been rebuilt or destroyed. The exhibition offers portraits of Russian Tsars and their family, the famous state and public figures and St.Petersburg aristocracy made by Carl Bulla, Karl Bergamasco, J. Bianki and others. The exhibition is to close October 31.
www.hermitage.ru 

September 21, 2003
France Seeks Greater Cultural Integration with Saint Petersburg

The delegation of the French Senate is currently visiting Saint Petersburg and has already met Vataniar Yagiar, a representative of the city's legislative assembly. The President of the Senate Committee for Economics Sir Gerard Larcher heads the French delegation. After Saint Petersburg the French guests plan to visit Tiumen and Krasnodar with the intention of raising French-Russian ties in transport, energy and agriculture industries. 'Saint Petersburg is one of the most beautiful cities in the world and our priority here is cultural ties,' Sir Larcher said. Mr.Yagia pointed out that a large exhibition had been held in Paris this summer including exhibits from museums of Saint Petersburg and a delegation of the Russian Federal Assembly, headed by Chairman Sergei Mironov, visited France in May, which shows how much French-Russian bilateral ties are developing. Mr.Yagia told his guests about the structure and authority of the city's legislative assembly and about the interaction between the executive and legislative branches of city government.
www.rosbaltnews.com

September 18, 2003
China Presents Garden of Friendship to Saint Petersburg

St. Petersburg's Garden of Friendship was declared open yesterday after an official ceremony on Liteiny Prospect. The garden is a gift to Saint Petersburg from its Chinese twin-city Shanghai on its 300th anniversary. Incidentally, December 15 will also mark the 15th anniversary of the two cities' partnership.
www.rosbaltnews.com

September 18,2003
International symposium Nobel Laureates in Economics opens in St. Petersburg today

The international symposium Nobel Laureates in Economics and Russian Economic Schools opens today in St. Petersburg. Sorokin-Kondratyev International Institute President Yuri Yakovets told Rosbalt that the symposium would take place at the St. Petersburg State University. He also said that two books were published in the run-up to the symposium: The View from Russia, which includes 27 Nobel lectures on economics and the book Economic Crises: Theory, Tendencies and Perspectives which includes the ideas of the Russian economics schools. The Russian book market is flooded with translations of the Western economists works and ideas that aren't always applicable to Russian reality, Yakovets was quoted as saying. The main goal of the symposium is the real-life exchange of opinions and ideas of Russian and foreign economists. The symposium is organized by The Sorokin-Kondratyev International Institute, St. Petersburg State University, Petersburg State University of Economics and Finance, the Leontyevsky Center, and the Russian Academy of Sciences, and is to end September 18.
www.rosbaltnews.com

September 12, 2003
International Congress Sport and Health Held in Saint Petersburg

The international congress Sport and Health is currently taking place in Saint Petersburg. The event is dedicated to the 300th anniversary of the city. The opening ceremony on September, 9 featured members of the city administration, famous international scientists as well as well-known sportsmen. Participants at the congress are discussing the role of government in developing sport, sport and business, sport in the fight against terrorism and also sociological, legal and ethical questions involved in sport. The congress is organized by the international Olympic congress, UNESCO, the administration of Saint Petersburg, the Saint Petersburg State Academy of Sport and other organizations.
www.rosbaltnews.com


September 11, 2003
George Bush Senior Arrives in Saint Petersburg

Former US President George Bush arrived in Saint Petersburg yesterday with his wife Barbara, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger and former mayor of New York Rudolph Giuliani. As a Rosbalt correspondent reports, the visit to Saint Petersburg is a private one and the former US president has not planned any official engagements. The couple plan to visit the US consulate and see the city's sights. They will visit the fountains of Peterhof, the Yekaterina palace in Pushkin, the Yusupov palace and the Piskaryovsky cemetery to pay their respects to the victims of the Leningrad blockade. Moreover, the famous couple will be treated to a private ballet evening in the Mariinsky Theatre. After visiting Saint Petersburg Mr and Mrs Bush will travel to Sochi to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin and then to Moscow where they will meet former president of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev.
www.rosbaltnews.com


September 3, 2003
First Ever Women's Boxing Match between Russia and US to Be Held in Saint Petersburg

The first ever women's boxing match between America and Russia will take place in Saint Petersburg September, 5. As a Rosbalt correspondent was informed by the organising committee for the event, each team will contain 11 competitors. The two lightest weight categories will not be represented in the match but the other boxers are currently the strongest in the two countries. The Russian team will include competitors from Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Stavropol and Hanti Mantiisk. The Women's Boxing Federation with the support of the Afghanvet Council of Afghan War Veterans has organized the competition. Women's boxing appeared in Russia in the middle of the 90s. About 40 women took part in the first national boxing competition in 1999, while 60 took part in 2000 and about 90 women boxed in the 2001 competition. Russia took the first place in the European Women's Boxing Championship in 2001 and at the first World Championships in the US the Russian team won four gold medals, two silver and three bronze.
www.rosbaltnews.com


September 2, 2003
Lost Russian art finds its way home

The State Hermitage Museum was the site Tuesday of the official return of a painting by Fyodor Bognevsky to the Russian Museum, and watercolors by Mikhail Zichi and Kumming to the Museum-Preserve of Tsarskoye Selo. The repatriations were the result of the efforts of the Department for the Cultural Values Preservation. As Vladimir Gusev, the director of the Russian Museum, said at a press conference in the Hermitage, 'When we work together, the results are always good.' Gusev said Bognevsky's 'Portrait of the Grand Princess Aleksandra Pavlovna,' which disappeared from the Russian Museum during World War II, was discovered by specialists of the Russian Ministry of Culture on offer at Sotheby's during the auction house's latest 'Russian Auction.' The painting was removed from sale at the request of the ministry. With the help of Jacob Rothschild, the wealthy London-based financier, the painting was purchased from the owner for EUR 24,000 and returned to the museum. Moreover, last May Ksenia and Dmitri Grabbe, US residents, handed over three watercolors taken from the Alexander Palace by German officers during the war to a representative of the Tsarskoye-Selo Museum-Preserve at the Russian Consulate in New York. All the watercolors bore on their reverse sides identifying numbers from the Alexander Palace-Museum. The paintings - Mikhail Zichi's Nikolai II and Aleksandra Fyodorovna, Nikolai II and the Painter at the Tree on which Aleksandr III Carved the Letter A and Kumming's Blue Boudoir in the House of Count Brevern de-la-Gardi - have now been triumphantly restored to the holdings of the Museum-Preserve of Tsarskoye Selo.
www.petersburgcity.com


August 27, 2003
Cycle race Paris - Saint-Petersburg "Nevsky Tandem"

Cycle race in which the blind and partially sighted French cyclists participated, finished off on the Palace Square. 53 participants of the race, 17 of them are blind and partially sighted, started yesterday from the Eifel Tower in Paris. The initiators of the action are the members of the French Association of the blind named after Valentin Hauy. The cycle race has been organized by the St. Petersburg Special Olympic Committee, St. Petersburg Administration, and the General Consular of France.
www.petersburgcity.com

August 21, 2003
In the Leningrad Zoo was born a fur seal

On the 20 of August in the Leningrad Zoo was born a fur seal -calf. According to the curator of the collection Natalia Popova -it's the great event. Lying-in of the she-seal was at 8 p.m. on Wednesday. The mammy is now more than 3 years old, for a long time she lived at large and got into the Leningrad Zoo from the Utrizh dolphinaria being already pregnant. Now the baby-seal is under its mammy's care. The zoo's specialists tell that her lying-in went off successfully. Two grown-up north fur seals spend summer time in St. Petersburg. They are expected to return to the dolphinaria by autumn. It's not clear yet would a newborn calf stay in the Leningrad Zoo. In order to keep the baby it's necessary to re-equip the zoo's pond. If there is anyone to assist, it will reside. The newborn fur seal-calf has no name yet.
www.petersburgcity.com

August 20, 2003
Fyodor Konyukhov to sail across the Baltic Sea with a new world record

The famous Russian traveler Fyodor Konyukhov gets ready to break the world record in the crossing of the Baltic Sea by his super-high-speed yacht "Bols". He was invited to become "Bols" captain by the owner of the sailing ship built in March 2003 in Australia. The yacht's crew includes 16 sportsmen from 9 countries. The race across the Baltic Sea will take place on the 1st-3rd September; the yacht kicks off in Helsinki and finishes in St. Petersburg. According to Konyukhov's press-centre "Bols" can sail at 40 knots speed. The invitation from the yacht's owner testifies to Russia's world recognition as a yacht power. Fyodor has got 3 world records in the crossing of the Atlantic Ocean. Aboard his catamaran-giant "Alye Parusa" he sailed across the Atlantic toward west-east direction and for 16 days sailed back. At the rowing boat "Uralaz" he sailed across the Atlantic Ocean for 46 days. From Helsinki to St. Petersburg Konyukhov intends to sail with the crew of "Bols" less that for 24 hours, reported ITAR-TASS.
www.petersburgcity.com

August 13, 2003
A new aqua park to be opened in St. Petersburg

The first aqua park is scheduled to be open at the end of 2004. It'll be located on the bank of Finland Gulf in range of the Hotel "Pribaltiyskaya", said the general director Vadim Kosarev. The main investor and customer is board of directors of the hotel. The project will be deposited from the hotels' funds. Total investments volume makes up 10-12 million USD. The total area of the aqua park comes to 1,5 thousand square kilometres and it will supplied with Swedish equipment. At present the project has passed through all necessary foundation concordances.
www.petersburgcity.com


August 11, 2003
Russian Parachuting Championship to be held in Leningrad district

According to "Rosbalt", the First Russian Youth Championship in Classical Parachuting is to be held in the context of the action. The programme of the championship includes parachuting competitions in landing accuracy , free-style swimming, track cross. Participants of the Youth Championship will compete in single and team jumps in landing accuracy and "free fall figures". More that 20 teams from Russia and Commonwealth of Independent States are to take part in the action.
www.petersburgcity.com


August 6, 2003
St. Petersburg celebrates the 200-th anniversary of the first Russian round-the world expedition

At the beginning of the 19th century this voyage won for the Russian Empire a fame of the great naval power. Two centuries ago in the same August day emperor Alexander I personally went on board and bided farewell to ready for sailing off from Kronshtadt the mission of ships "Nadezhda" and "Neva", said a direct descendant of the head of the first native round-the-world voyage forty-year-old Aleksey Kruzenshtern. "Nadezhda" and "Neva" started from the berth of Kotlin Island in the Gulf of Finland, then reached and turned round the Gorn Cape, crossed Pacific Ocean south- to north-ward, arrived in Kamchatka, delivered in Japan the first Russian Embassy, visited Alaska, China, Indonesia and turned Russia. July,7 the solemn ceremony to be opened in the Peter and Paul's Cathedral with the imposition of a memorial jubilee sings for the contribution in establishment of the Russian navigation on the sarcophagi of Russian emperors Peter I and Alexander I. Then the special memorial flag in the accompaniment of the famous group on a cutter will be delivered from the Cathedral to the Lieutenant Schmidt's Embankment to the monument of Kruzenschtern.
www.petersburgcity.com

August 5, 2003
The VII International Bike-show will take place in St.Petersburg
The Bike-show devoted to the city's 300-th anniversary to be held in 8-10 August at Casimovo airdrome. This Bike-show is an event of the year for all bikers from Russia, the near and far abroad and for those who are interested in this technique-culture. Clank and crash cacophony of building machines replaced by violoncello and piano will interflow in music absorbed din of motors and the big city's drive…
www.bikeshow.ru

July 29, 2003
Crown prince of Monaco arrives in St. Petersburg

Crown prince of Monaco Princedom Albert arrives Wednesday in St. Petersburg with an official visit. Upon his arrival in St. Petersburg Albert will lay a wreath on the Monument of Leningrad defenders at the Victory square, reported the city committee of Public Relations. Next day he schedules to visit Peter and Paul's Fortress and Hermitage, then he'll meet with the acting governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov in Smolnyi Cathedral. Afterwards he will visit Pavlovsk and Pushkin and will participate in the inauguration ceremony of a new honorary consul of Monaco Princedom in St. Petersburg. On Friday the prince will look in Peterhof and will trip to Isaac Cathedral. The visit will come to the end on Saturday. It will be his second visit to the North capital. For the first time he came in St. Petersburg in 2001.
www.petersburgcity.com

July 28th
Russian Population to Shrink by Fifth in Next 50 years

The population of Russia is likely to fall by 18% over the next half a century. Researchers believe that by 2050 the population will have fallen from its current level of 145.5 million to 119 million. They also predict that India will become the most populous country in the world, with 1.628 billion inhabitants, followed by China with 1.394 billion. The US will rank third with 422 million people. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 28th
Russia and EU Already in Talks on Visa-Free Travel

Officials from the EU and Russia have begun discussing ways of simplifying visa application procedures and a potential move to a visa-free travel system in the future. This was announced on Saturday, July 26 by Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov during a meeting with President Putin. The foreign minister also gave an account of preparations for Putin's forthcoming visit to the US, which is scheduled for September, and the EU-Russia summit that will take place in November. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/ 

July 28th
Italian Prime Minister to Visit Russia

Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi is due to arrive in Russia July 29 on a working visit. The Russian Foreign Ministry's press department told Rosbalt that the visit is of particular importance as Italy is currently presiding over the EU presidency. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/ 

July 26th
Amnesty International Tells Europeans about Human Rights Violations in Russia

The brightly decorated bus of the organization Amnesty International has begun its 100-day tour across Europe dedicated to human rights violations in Russia. The bus will stop in different cities where representatives of the organization will inform European residents of all the details of human rights violations in Russia. Representatives of Amnesty International will also collect signatures in an appeal to Russian President Vladimir Putin summoning him to defend human rights in Russia. The bus tour is taking place under the slogan of 'justice for all.' 
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/ 

July 24th
St. Petersburg's confectioners got to the Guinness Book!

However, as confectioners said, the cake's size was not their achievement, but the number of candles that were placed over the cake's surface run up 4500 candles! They resorted to difficult mathematical calculations and special equipment in order to distribute and to light out candles. The candles burned only 2 minutes but there was enough time to hold a record. http://www.petrsburgcity.com/ 

July 22nd
The delegation of Shanghai opens a new Trade House on Vasilievsky Island

On 21 July Russian and Chinese businessmen discussed the development of trade and economic relations and problems of joint projects realisation. Also the question of cooperation in development of St. Petersburg's infrastructure was considered. Besides the opening of a new Trade House "Shanghai" and "Shanghai's goods" exhibition are to be held during this visit. At the exhibition will be displayed clothing, household appliances, medicines, medical and trade equipment that is the production of more than 50 Chinese enterprises. http://www.petrsburgcity.com/ 

July 28th
"The Village of Vikings" festival takes place at the Peter and Paul's Fortress walls

"The Village of Vikings" festival will take place in St. Petersburg in frames of the program's actions prepared by Sweden for the city's 300-th anniversary. The festival's participants - members of Sweden Historical Societies- intend reconstructing of the noble Varangian navigators' way of life: one can see ships, houses and clothes of Vikings, taste traditional cuisine dishes, see the work of blacksmiths and embroiders. Besides, visitors can observe reconstruction of war battles. The Stockholm History Museum's exhibition to be also presented. On Sunday, 31 July, Vikings will bug out its camp and the ceremonial departure of the boats to Sweden coasts to finish the festival's programme will take place next day. http://www.petersburgcity.com/ 

July 29th
Italian producer shoots a film of the Leningrad's Blockade

The famous Italian film director Jouzeppe Tornatore gathers for his new project moviemakers of Russia, USA, Italy and of other European countries. Tornatore starts shooting of a serial film "Leningrad" to narrate of the city's tragic and heroic days during the long fascist blockade's months. This film is to be dedicated to the city's 300-th anniversary. A lot of leading world movies actors, including incomparable Nicole Kidman, were invited to take part in the film's shooting. http://www.petersburgcity.com/ 

July 29th
Estonia Finds Russian Boat

A 19th-century Russian vessel that sank in the Baltic Sea with 177 sailors aboard has been discovered off the Finnish coast, Estonian researchers said. The Russalka - Russian for mermaid - belonged to the czarist fleet and sank in 1893. It was found 24 kilometers from Helsinki..Built in 1868, the Russalka was one of the czarist navy's first so-called "ironclads" - a ship covered in iron sheeting. One of its last ports of call before it sank was Tallinn, the capital of Estonia and part of the tsarist empire at the time.
A 1902 Estonian monument to the Russalka, a bronze angel holding a crucifix and tilting it toward the ship's watery grave, is a popular tourist sight in Tallinn. Many Estonian newlyweds leave bouquets at its granite base to honor the sailors who died. http://www.sptimesrussia.com/ 

July 16th
German Gref: Talks on Russia's Entry into WTO to End in 2004

Talks on Russia's entry into the World Trade Organization will end in 2004, said Economic Development and Trade Minister German Gref. He said that after the conclusion of talks it would be possible to talk about beginning formal procedures for entering the WTO; however, 'the time frame for entry is not a principle issue for Russia. It is important, however, to uphold the country's main interests' and to discuss the question of Russian banking services, its automobile, construction, insurance and telecommunications industries. The Russian government will discuss its entry into the WTO on July 21. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 16th
Russian Government to Wage Battle Against Foreign Films without Use of Quotas

The Russian Government has come out against quotas on the presentation of foreign films. The Press Ministry's press service told Rosbalt that the corresponding conclusion of the Cabinet of Ministers is included in the text of the draft bill on the government support of domestic cinematography introduced by State Duma deputy Valery Galchenko and sent to the Press Ministry. The draft calls for the production of up to 100 fictional, 65 animated and 330 documentary films annually, which according to the government will make the domestic film industry competitive with foreign films. The federal budget has earmarked approximately USD 50 million to develop the domestic film industry.
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 16th
St. Petersburg's Baltika #3 Beer to Be Served in Pubs and Restaurants in Great Britain

St. Petersburg's Baltika brewing company and Great Britain's Scottish Courage brewing company have signed a long-term contract for the distribution of Baltika #3 beer in Great Britain, according to the Baltika press service. In the near future Baltika #3 will be sold in 200 pubs and restaurants in London, Glasgow, Edinburgh, Manchester and Leeds. A mug of the Baltika #3 beer will cost approximately USD 2. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 16th
French Citizen Suspected of Trading Weapons and Financing Terrorist Groups Detained in Moscow

French citizen Joel Michel Sambuis who is suspected of trading and financing extremist groups was detained in Moscow on July 15. The Ministry of Internal Affairs told Rosbalt that the arrest operation was conducted by Ministry of Internal Affairs employees specializing in the fight against high technology crime and French police. During the arrest a forged Russian passport was seized. According to French police, the suspect's activity caused losses of USD 15 million. At the present time Michel is in jail while the question of his extradition to France is being decided.
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 16th
St. Petersburg Football Team Defeats Japan in World Robot Football Championship

St. Petersburg football team Zenith-New Era played in the world robot football championship which took place in the Italian city of Padua along with famous companies including Sony, Fujitsu, NEC, and others.
Zenith-New Era General Director Gennady Lokotkov said that 'the Petersburg team at the present time is competing in the league of football simulators, which differ strongly from computer games especially because everyone of the eleven 'players' on the field has its own personal program and algorithm of activity. This means that our virtual team is a local computer network consisting of 11 interactive computers which play against another network. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 15th
Prince of Wales Presents Royal Yacht to Baltic Fleet

The Prince of Wales, who is currently in Saint Petersburg, visited the Alexandra social services centre. The prince spent about an hour at Alexandra and spoke to some of the staff who work there. He also met representatives of the local administration and the legislative assembly of Saint Petersburg. The Alexandra centre was founded five years ago and provides free legal advice and counselling to victims of domestic violence. A telephone helpline operates 24 hours a day and about 350 calls are made each month on average.
This evening the prince will participate in a ceremony to present the Adventurer yacht to the Russian Baltic fleet as a gift from the British royal fleet on the 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 15th
Charles Pays Respects to Victims of Leningrad Blockade

Prince Charles of Wales visited the Piskarevskoye memorial cemetery yesterday and paid his respects to those who died during the Leningrad blockade by laying a wreath at the memorial monument. The crew of the St. Albans ship of the British navy, which arrived in St. Petersburg for the time of Prince Charles' visit, also participated in the ceremony. The crewmen of the ship were present at the ceremony as guards of honour.
As Director of the Piskarevskoye Memorial Cemetery Vladimir Kolpakov said, the Prince of Wales said that he was moved by the heroism of the inhabitants of Leningrad who defended their city during the Great Patriotic War. He left an entry in the Distinguished Guests' Book, and a souvenir medal of the Piskarevskoye memorial cemetery was presented to him. It is already the second visit of the British prince to the Piskarevskoye cemetery. He visited it for the first time in 1994.
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 15th
Prince of Wales Visits Children's Ecological Centre in Saint Petersburg

Prince Charles of Wales, the heir to the British throne, has visited the children's ecological centre at the St Petersburg Vodokanal enterprise. Children told the prince about the centre's history, its work and main projects. One of them - an ecological newspaper - is being published with the support of the British Department for International Development. The project involves teams from 50 schools which issue newspapers dealing with St Petersburg's problems. The prize for the best team will be a trip to Britain and participation in publishing a newspaper at one of the British publishing centres.
The prince asked if there were many wishing to go to Britain, and whether members of the centre spoke English and could watch British programmes on television. In memory of his visit he left his autograph and was photographed with the children. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 15th
Prince Charles: St Petersburg Is One of World's Most Beautiful Cities

SAINT PETERSBURG, July 15. Prince Charles of Wales visited the Menshikov Palace in St.Petersburg yesterday. The Prince saw the museum's exposition and visited the ballroom, which contains an organ made in the 18th century in London with the participation of Handel, who also wrote 14 melodies for the clock installed in the musical instrument.
The distinguished guest also listened to a classical piece by 18th-century composer John Stanley performed on the organ. From the palace's balcony the prince admired the view of St.Petersburg, saying he believed it to be one of the world's most beautiful cities.
Last night Prince Charles visited the State Hermitage where he saw the collections of one of the world's largest art and history museums and attended a concert by leading performers of the Mariinsky Theatre.
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 15th
Prince of Wales Enjoys Night Tour of Hermitage
The Prince of Wales enjoyed a night tour of the Hermitage Museum last night after hearing a concert given by leading members of the Mariinsky Theatre and conducted by Valery Gergiev. His tour of the museum was also accompanied by music, this time provided by the Hermitage orchestra.
Prince Charles first visited Saint Petersburg in 1994 and he has patronized a number of charity events organised by the Mariinsky Theatre. In addition Charles is chairman of the royal collection trust which presented the Hermitage Theatre with the famous portrait of Peter the Great by Sir Godfrey Kneller and is on display at the exhibition Founder of Saint Petersburg.
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 15th
Valery Gergiev Returns from New York to Give Exclusive Concert for Prince of Wales

SAINT PETERSBURG, July 15. Leading members of the Mariinsky Theatre gave a concert for the Prince of Wales at the Hermitage Theatre yesterday. The concert is another joint venture between the Mariinsky Theatre and the Hermitage Theatre. The concert included an interlude from Wagner's Lohengrin as well as arias from Rachmaninov's Aleko and Tchaikovsky's The Enchantress and The Queen of Spades. Artistic Director of the Mariinsky Theatre Valery Gergiev arrived from New York especially to conduct the orchestra. The Mariinsky Theatre is currently on tour at the Metropolitan opera in New York, where they will be until the end of July. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 15th
Economic Development Minister: Electronic Passports to Be Issued in Russia from 2006

MOSCOW, July 15. Electronic passports will be issued to Russians from 2006.This was announced yesterday by Russian Minister for Economic Development German Gref, while speaking at a meeting of the joint committee on communication technology. Mr Gref said that the Ministry for Economic Development and the Interior Ministry had appealed to President Vladimir Putin to approve the programme for the new passports. 'If the president agrees, then work will begin in 2004 to design the passports and the first electronic passports may be issued by 2006-2007,' said Mr Gref. All expenses for this project will be included in the Electronic Russia programme in 2004, the minister stressed. The electronic passport will basically be a plastic card containing comprehensive data about the cardholder including medical information, social insurance etc.
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 15th
Bjork will give a concert in St.Petersburg on the 19th of July

On the 19th of July, on Saturday, Bjork, Iceland's number one export, may be the most revolutionary and innovative pop singer of the modern music, will play Ledovy Palace. In this tour, Bjork is emphasizing her lofty status in the pop firmament by teaming up with an orchestra, harpist and computer duo for her concerts. Bjork will give only one concert in Saint-Petersburg, so book soon to guarantee yourself a seat.
http://www.petersburgcity.com

July 14th
The exhibition of Cy Twombly paintings
opens in the Hermitage

On the 8th of July the exhibition of the works of Cy Twombly, by now, with recorded auction prices of $3 million and up perhaps the most fashionable abstract painter alive, has opened in the Hermitage. His work is cryptic, devoted to nuance and practically impossible to reproduce. The exhibition will be on display in the General Staff building till the 1st of September.
http://www.petersburgcity.com

July 3, 2003 - July 28, 2003
Exhibition in Stroganovsky palace: "Two wars"

At the exposition there are works of two painters: Soviet painter S. Shimansky and German painter A. Remmer. They are both got through the Grate Patriotic war but they saw it from different point of view. In 1942 A. Remmer was on the strange land. He had to photograph the German graves for facilitating future quests. His photos also show us Russian countryside during the war, people who was still laughing and friendly in spite of the war. In the same time in the North another photographer - S. Shimansky took photos of the operations and fights. When he was in the blockaded Leningrad, he was astonished by the greatness of the unsubdued city. There are no corpses and bombings on his photos, but the fences on the flower-beds for growing potatoes before the Kazansky cathedral. Such photos can tell us much more about the blockaded http://www.petersburgcity.com

July 7th
"The Past of the Present: Cobra and Contemporaries from the Stedelijk Museum" (from May 16 till September 30)

This exhibition comprises a selection of about 60 paintings, 10 sculptures and 20 works on paper by Cobra and its contemporaries, from the Stedelijk's collection, for a presentation in the Hermitage's Petrovskaya Gallery (which communicates with the section showing 17th century Dutch art). It is Amsterdam's contribution to the celebration of St. Petersburg's 300 anniversary. http://www.absolutearts.com/artsnews

July 7th
The Prince of Wales will pay a visit
to Russia from 13th to 16th July 2003

His Royal Highness will visit St Petersburg on the occasion of the city's Tercentenary and will carry out a variety of official engagements. The visit will also highlight the 450th anniversary of UK-Russian relations."St Petersburg's Tercentenary is not only a source of pride for the Russian people, but an occasion for celebration well beyond Russia's borders. My best wishes go to the people of St Petersburg at this special time."
http://www.britain.spb.ru/news/

A plaque in memory of John Paul Jones will be revealed on July 6 at House 23 on Bolshaya Morskaya street where Jones lived. Mr Jones was an admiral in the Russian fleet under Catherine the Great and in the US he is considered one of the founders of the US navy. Scott Fry, a commander in the US navy, arrived in Saint Petersburg today on the Nicholas frigate. He said that his visit 'should be a foundation for upcoming joint training exercises which underline the strategic partnership between Russia and US. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 3rd
Vladimir Putin Wishes US President Happy Independence Day

Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke with US President George Bush by phone yesterday. According to the president's press office, the two leaders discussed various bilateral and international issues. In particular they spoke of the upcoming Russian-US summit in September, the non-proliferation of WMD, the settlement of regional conflicts, the fight against international terrorism and also bilateral trade relations. Mr Putin wished Mr Bush a happy Independence Day, which will be celebrated on July 4. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 2nd
Hermitage Receives USD 75,000 to Renovate Indian Exhibition

The State Hermitage Museum and the Indian consulate yesterday signed a sponsorship agreement worth USD 75,000 in St. Petersburg. India is giving the Hermitage money to renovate an exhibition of Indian art. The first rooms containing the renovated exhibition will be opened this year, with the remaining rooms to follow in 2004. The exhibition will cover the period from the 2nd century to the 19th century, with recent acquisitions increasing the size of the early sections. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

July 2nd
Canada Days Being Held in St. Petersburg

The programme is focused on education, and tomorrow will see the opening of a summer school at which leading Canadian teachers will give lectures. The Centre for Canadian Studies at St. Petersburg State University will also receive a gift of books by Canadian authors in English and French. The programme will feature cultural events devoted to Canadian culture, including a film about Canada at the Russian National Library. Various educational and cultural institutions in St. Petersburg will also receive equipment from Canada.
http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

June 30th
A new view of The Mariinsky Theatre

On Saturday ,28 June, was determinated the name of an architect of a New Stage of Marinsky Theatre: Dominique Perrault. He became a winner of the international competition of projects of a new Marinsky's stege. He was born in 1953 in France. In 1978 he graduated from the fine arts school in Paris by the speciality "architecture". In 1979-graduated from The National French School of bridges and roads and in 1980- from the High School of social sciences. Since 1998 Perrault is a president of the French Institute of Architecture. He heads an agency "Dominiques Perrault, Architecte" in Paris. http://www.petersburgcity.com

KALININGRAD, June 24. Russian President Vladimir Putin will receive the British royal family onboard the Intrepid, a ship belonging to the Russian Baltic fleet, during his official visit to Great Britain. As a Rosbalt correspondent was informed by the press office of the Baltic fleet, the Russian ship arrived in London today. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

The summer season has been opened in the Oranienbaum State Museum and Preserve. There are several exhibitions: "Russian Orthodox St. Petersburg. Saints and Holy Places of St. Petersburg", "Samurais. Aspects of Japanese Culture of from the 17th century to the beginning of the 20th century" opened in the Japanese Pavilion and an exhibition of 18th-19th-century sculptures from the collections of the Museum and Preserve opened in the Stone Room pavilion of the Upper Park. The exhibition will last until April 2004. http://300online.ru

June 22nd
"Palaces of St. Petersburg" Festival Will Be Held in the City on the Neva from June 27 to July 20

The 11th International Festival "Palaces of St. Pertersburg" will be held in the city on the Neva from June 27 to July 20. St.-Petersburg will be visited by the Finnish Chamber Orchestra and the Chamber Choir of Yerevan. The program "Royal Music and Dances" will be presented by ensembles from the Baltic States, the Estonian Baroque Soloists and the ballet company Vilnius Camargo Troupe. They will demonstrate music, dances, instruments and costumes of Vivaldi's epoch in the rooms of the Great Catherine Palace and Menshikov's Palace. The Amati Quartet and Risonanza chamber orchestra will come from Italy. There will be also the famous Ensemble 415 and other musicians from France.
http://300online.ru

June 21rd
Virtual Branches of the Russian Museum Will Appear

A contract of cooperation has been signed between Joint-Stock Financial Company SYSTEMA and the State Russian Museum. It is planned to enlarge exhibition activities of the Russian Museum both in Russia and abroad. The museum and SYSTEMA Company are also planning to make a network of virtual museums included into the Russian Museum. Each virtual museum will be equipped with computer centers where visitors will be able to see all collections of the Russian Museum through Internet. The program of cooperation between SYSTEMA Company and the Russian Museum is for the years 2004-2014.
http://300online.ru

The museum of the Constantine Palace was opened. This news was told by Gennady Yavnik, director of the International Charity Foundation “The Constantine Palace and Park in Strelna”. According to Mr. Yavnik, the Blue Room, the Marble Room and the Assembly Room were already opened for visitors, as well as the park adjoining the palace. Two temporary exhibitions, “Heraldry” and “Glory of the Russian Seas”, were also opened. http://300online.ru/

This year, 6 kg of gold were used to reconstruct buildings and structures in Peterhof. “This was a special year for us, - said Vadim Znamenov, Director of the Peterhof State Museum and Preserve, at the press conference held today, - “because we knew that leaders of 44 countries would come to Peterhof. This was the greatest event ever seen in Peterhof, and this was very important for all Russia. We showed that somilar parks and palace ensembles can be seen nowhere else in the world, so we attracted millions of potential visitors.” http://300online.ru/

June 17th
Ilya Klebanov is sure that the Naval Show in St. Petersburg will be a success

Minister of Industry, Science and Technologies of the Russian Federation, Ilya Klebanov, is sure that the Naval Show (which will be held in St. Petersburg from June 25 to June 29) will be a success.
At the same time, the Minister does not expect new contracts to be signed during the event. He said: “The 2003 Naval Show is only to prove that Russia can host major Naval exhibitions.” “I believe that, when the show is held for the second time, you will see contracts being signed”. http://300online.ru/

In 2003, 2 million 600 thousand flowers are to be planted in the streets and parks of St. Petersburg. The total of 4,622 trees and 49, 210 bushes are to be planted in 2003. Last spring, 2,840 trees and 33, 520 bushes were planted. According to specialists from the city’s Garden and Park Department, sponsors’ activities and presents from abroad significantly contributed to the landscaping of the Northern Capital in the year of its anniversary. http://300online.ru/

The European Championship Competition in Firemen’s Skills will take place in St. Petersburg on June 28 at the stadium of the Department of Fire Prevention. Fire brigades from England, Belorussia, Italy, Finland and countries of the former Soviet Union have applied for participation in the competition. http://300online.ru/

To commemorate the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg, Northwestern Telecom Company installed the first Web phones in Russia. A Web phone is a combination of a booth phone and a computer. A Web phone terminal is equipped with a large display permitting to reproduce high-quality images. Web phones provide local, intercity and international telephone communications, as well as access to Internet. It also permits to send e-mail and SMS messages and to place advertisements. http://www.rosbaltnews.com/

A concert of Mariinsky Theater, “Commemorating the 300th anniversary of St. Petersburg”, took place on Palace Square on May 28. This was a joint action of the theater and the Hermitage. The ballet dancers, the choir, the orchestra and the soloist of Mariinsky Theater participated in the concert. The conductor was Valery Gergiev. The concert included Balanchine’s version of Tchaikovsky’s ballet Serenade, the Polovets Camp scene from Prince Igor and Shadows from Mincus’s ballet La Bayadere.
http://300online.ru

June 4th
Planet "Peterburg 300" in the sky

At the award ceremony on behalf of the City Government and the St. Petersburg Academic Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Nobel prize winner Academician Zhores Alferov presented to St. Petersburg Governor Vladimir Yakovlev diploma certifying that the International Astronomy Union gave the name of Peterburg 300 to one of the small planets, marking the city's 300th anniversary. The small planet was discovered on 26 September, 1978, by the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory. The planet's diameter is about 18 km. Its orbit is situated between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter. The average distance to the Sun is 476 mln. km.
News source: www.300online.ru

June 3d
247 Russian companies to take part
in maritime defense show on 25-29 June

Russia's first International Maritime Defense Show 2003 will take place in Lenexpo Exhibition Complex on 25-29 June. Military ships and naval aircraft will be displayed in Lenexpo, Rzhevka training ground and Pushkin airfield. Visitors will see 4 naval artillery systems, 10 Russian ships and 2 ships built in St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad for India and Germany. The program includes demonstration flights of Strizhi and Russian Vityazi pilots; military ships will show their capacity. "This show is unique, because the entire naval engineering chain will be demonstrated, from design to application in battle," said the General Director of ZAO Voenno-morskoy salon.
News source: http://www.300online.ru

June 2nd
EU-Russia summit was held in St. Petersburg on May 31

Russian President Vladimir Putin gave a warm welcome to the EU leaders who gathered in St. Petersburg for the EU-Russia summit which was held on May 31. The summit took place in the St. Petersburg suburb of Strelna. Russian President Vladimir Putin and other world leaders who arrived in St. Petersburg for the city's 300th anniversary celebrations visited St. Isaac's Cathedral on May 31 and later moved on to the Mariinsky Theater. The theater hall was occupied with world leaders. In the gala concert 'St. Petersburg 300 Years', world famous opera singers, Mariinsky theater soloists and ballet dancers performed. Maestro Valery Gergiev directed the Mariinsky theater orchestra. All the participants in the EU-Russia summit have been captivated by the beauty of St. Petersburg. At the summit all the leaders stressed that they share Russians' pride in such a beautiful city. The guests also thanked Russia for the summit's wonderful organization.
News source: http://www.rosbaltnews.com

May 28th
Saint Petersburg celebrated
the 300th anniversary yesterday

The 300th anniversary of Saint Petersburg has raised the city's profile in recent months and there are hopes that international coverage of the anniversary celebrations will bring more European visitors to the city. Russian President Vladimir Putin is from Saint Petersburg himself and it has been suggested that some of the government ministries may return to what is still known as the 'northern capital.' News source: www.rosbaltnews.com

May 23th
Heads of state to travel around
Saint Petersburg on high-speed boats

Russian Cruises has spent almost USD 1.5 million on revamping four ordinary meteor boats for the transportation of heads of state during the anniversary celebrations. The Russian president signed a protocol that the passenger capacity of the meteor boats should be reduced. Now the front and middle salons intended for the heads of state will only accommodate 32 people while the salon at the back of the ship, which is intended for other guests, will accommodate up to 46 people. The journey from the Neva embankment in the city to Strelna or Peterhof will take 30-40 minutes. The same journey takes twice as long by road. After the celebrations the special meteor boats will continue to operate for VIP guests and corporate clients. News source: http://www.rosbaltnews.com

May 22th
Paul McCartney will come to St. Petersburg,
but will not give a concert

Paul Mccartney, the famous rock-singer and composer, a member of the legendary group "The Beatles", arrives in St. Petersburg today, on May 22. The musician do not want to attract the attention of the local press and public, and all the details concerning his visit are kept secret. It is known although that Paul Mccartney will be awarded a diploma of the honorary professor of St. Petersburg conservatoire. He will also visit a number of music schools of the Northern Capital.
News source: http://www.ipc-spb.ru

May 13th
According to the census,
4.7 million people live in St. Petersburg

According to the preliminary results of 2002 census, 4.7 million people live in St. Petersburg. Chairman of the State Committee for Statistics of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Sokolin, told about it at a press conference. According to Rosbalt News Agency, he said that, judging by the results of the census, the population of the Northern Capital had decreased by 6.4% since the previous census held in 1989. According to Mr. Sokolin, this is the result of "natural decrease": death rate is higher than birth rate. He also mentioned another cause of the population decrease is smaller than in other big cities migration flow.
News source: www.300online.ru

May 7th
International architectural forum opens in St. Petersburg

The second annual international architectural forum 'preserving great cities of the world' opened in St. Petersburg on May 5. Forum Program Director Alevtina Telysheva said at the press conference that specialists from twelve countries will take part in activities. A discussion 'censor in the city historical environment' will also take place as part of the forum. There will also be one traveling session of the forum devoted to the results of the work of restorers in St. Petersburg and a survey of restored post-war palace museums in Pushkin and Pavlovsk.
News source: www.rosbaltnews.com

April 28th
Second Easter Festival to be held in Moscow

The Festival will take place on April 27 to May 10. As it was last year, Valery Gergiyev, art director of the Marrinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg, will be the art manager of the event. This Easter Festival in Moscow is a sequential of European tradition to hold musical forums in Easter week, and at the same time special emphasis will be placed on preservation and augmentation of rich musical traditions of Russia itself. The festival program includes performances of world most famous soloists and philharmonic orchestras. (RTN News)

Russian Federation toughens multiple visas issuing order for foreigners

From now on, applicants for multiple Russian visas will be checked by the Federal Security Service. Before, the control was carried out only on the base of a check-list, the documents were not sent to the FSS, visas.ru web site announces. Besides toughening the order of visa document execution, a list of so called "dangerous countries from migration point of view" has been approved. The list contains 21 countries including Afghanistan, Algeria, Vietnam, India, Iraq, Iran, China, Nigeria, Pakistan and North Korea. Residents of these countries can execute Russia entry documents only on the territory of their countries. If the office to get an invitation is in the third country, the applicant is to have a residence permit of that country. (RTN News)

Peter the 1-st will take the St. Peterburg governor's place for the festive days

Peter the 1-st will be elected in St. Petersburg in May. The elected tsar will be a live symbol and carnival ambassador of the jubilee city to all countries till the end of the year. The best emperor will be elected on May 25, in the course of a carnival. A column of 1000 Peters will marches on along Nevsky Prospect (St. Petersburg central street). The participants of the carnival procession - representatives of 40 Russian and 6 European cities - are given free hands in choosing a costume and appearance of the Saint-Petersburg founder, the Russian News Service reports. (RTN News)

St. Petersburg got sacura-trees from Japan as a present

On April 21, a ceremony of presenting 1000 young plants of sacura-trees (Japan cherry-trees), a gift of Japan to St. Petersburg, was held at the green-house of the city Botanical Gardens. Specialists from the city Garden-and-Park Economy Board and the Botanical Gardens of the V.Ya. Komarov Botanical Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences will look after the saplings brought from Japan. (RTN News)

The Amber Room to be completely restored by May 13

The restoration of this famous room at the Ekaterina Palace in Tsarskoye Selo (Tsar's country residence in suburb of St. Petersburg) will be fully completed on May 13. At the same day an expert commission will approve the work done. Independent experts from Russia and Germany will form the commission. On may 31, the restored room will be showed to heads of countries that took part in the summit. The official opening ceremony of this unique amber room will be held on June 3. (RTN News)

Tourist complex to be raised on an artificial island
in the Black Sea

A new investment project of oil industry workers provides for construction of an artificial island, Yugra by name. The construction of this single in Russia artificial island in the Black Sea will cost 4 billion rubles. According to the plan a tourist centre with beach and hotel is to be placed on the island, the Novosti Russian news agency reports. (RTN News)

April 21st
Russia and Germany intend to settle bureaucratic visa problems in the immediate future

The Foreign Ministries of Russia and Germany are willing to polish up the visa issuing procedure. "President Putin and I are unanimous in this decision", Gerahard Schroeder, Federal Chancellor of Germany, stated on April 11 at plenary session of the Russia-Germany Forum "St. Petersburg Dialogue". He expressed his hope that the problem would be settled quickly and effectively, the Rosbalt news agency reports. The German Chancellor is also sure that special consideration should be given to youth exchange since "young people are concerned with the future, and this is what our countries need".(RTN News)

"Great Festival in Pavlovsk" as a present to St. Petersburg jubilee

The festival is being arranged by the Pavlovsk state museum-reserve. It will be held on July 6 to 13, the ABN news agency reports. For the first time an event like this took place last year, and was successful. Then, about 600 music fans gathered in the Pavilion of Roses to listen to waltzes of Strauss. The Mariinsky Theater and Hermitage take part in organization of the forthcoming festival. According to the organizers' idea the festival will start the rebirth of traditional Strauss seasons, rather popular in the 19th century. The Admiralty Brass Band Orchestra and soloists from the Mariinsky Theater and the Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic Society will take part in the event. The festive program includes musical compositions of different epochs, including ones of present-day masters. Thus, Sergey Slonimsky, a St. Petersburg composer, composed a new waltz purposely to the festival. (RTN News)

Popularity of Veliky Novgorod among tourists goes up

In 2002, the total number of tourists that visited the city of Veliky Novgorod increased by 26.6 percent, as compared to 2001, whereas in the previous years the growth was not more than three to four percent a year. These figures were reported by the Veliky Novgorod.ru news agency.(RTN News)

April 14th

About 12 to 14 thousand guests are expected to come to St. Petersburg for the jubilee days

As Vladimir Strzhalkovsky, deputy minister for economic development and trade, told journalists on April 4, this figure, apart from members of official delegations from various countries, includes maintenance staff and body-guards. The most numerous delegation is expected from the USA - over one thousand persons. Over 300 people will number each delegation from China and India. Vladimir Strzhalkovsky also noted that the Department for Tourism of the RF Economy and Trade Ministry had recommended to limit the number of comers to St. Petersburg. Recall that according to the Russian government decision Pulkovo airport will be closed on May 29 to June 1, 2003; no plane of any foreign or Russian airline carrying out scheduled, charter, ordered or extra flight would take off or land during these days. The airport will serve only special flights delivering official delegations and VIPs having permits of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. (RTN News)

Fishing in the land of Ural - a good alternative to Turkish resorts

Provincial tourism in Russia may become one of the most preferable ways to spend leaves this-year holiday season. Against a background of falling demand for tours to Turkey, Egypt and countries of South-East Asia the interest in Russian tourism is growing and particularly in active holiday-making in some out-of-the-way places, the New Region news agency reports referring to the Department for physical culture, sports and tourism of the Sverdlovsk region. Fishing on finny natural reservoirs, environmental tourism (rafting down the Chusovaya River) and seeing cultural and historical sights of Ekaterinburg are among the most attractive Ural itineraries. Taking into account the demand for such tours, travel agencies of Ekaterinburg hired instructors, experts in fishing, to accompany and train tourists. (RTN News)

April 12th

28 trains a day to run between Moscow and St. Petersburg during 300th anniversary celebrations

Russian Railways Minister Gennady Fadeev has approved a final version of the timetable for train services between Moscow and St. Petersburg in the period between May 23 and June 10. The Railways Ministry predicts that the volume of passengers during this period of St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary celebrations will increase from 10,000 a day to 18,000 a day. For this reason the ministry is altering the routes of goods and container services in order to leave the main route free for passenger services.
'An additional 15 trains per day will be added,' said Deputy Railways Minister Hasan Zyabirov. 'This will mean that a total of 28 services will run between Moscow and St. Petersburg each day - 18 night services and 10 day services. As well as these services, a further 2 trains will depart from and arrive at the Vitebsk Station in St. Petersburg.' The Repin service, which operates between St. Petersburg and Helsinki, will also be lengthened during this period from 5 coaches to 18. (www.peterburgcity.com)

Mariinsky Theatre and Hermitage Museum to Celebrate
St. Petersburg's 300th Anniversary Together

SAINT PETERSBURG, April 11. The State Hermitage Museum and the Mariinsky (Kirov) Theatre yesterday signed a cooperation agreement. Mikhail Piotrovsky and Valery Gergiev, the heads of two of Russia's most famous cultural institutions, put their signatures to the document, which sets out a programme of joint events to celebrate St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary.

The cooperation agreement includes a series of large-scale joint events in St. Petersburg, other Russian regions, and abroad. According to Piotrovsky, the main joint project will be a free ballet performance by the Mariinsky's stars on Palace Square in St. Petersburg on May 28, 2003. From July 5 to 13 the Mariinsky Theatre and the State Hermitage will take part in the 'Grand Waltz in Pavlovsk' festival, before attending the city of Pskov's 1,100th anniversary celebrations. The Mariinsky Theatre's stars will feature in a gala concert devoted to the Hermitage Theatre's 220th anniversary. In return, the Hermitage will take part in an exhibition devoted to the Mariinsky Theatre's 220th anniversary. (www.rosbaltnews.com)

April 5th

Italian-Language Website on St. Petersburg Launched
SAINT PETERSBURG, April 11. An Italian version of the daily St. Petersburg online publication www.300online.ru was officially launched yesterday. The project is aimed at Italians with an interest in St. Petersburg and the city's upcoming 300th anniversary celebrations. It is oriented towards tourists, particularly from abroad, and business representatives interested in working in or with St. Petersburg. The project is supported by the Italian Consulate General in St. Petersburg.

The website features city news, information on the anniversary celebrations, and a programme of celebratory events for May 2003. The site also contains articles on famous Italians in St. Petersburg, and a list of the best hotels, cafes, restaurants and clubs for tourists. A catalogue of Italian companies working in St. Petersburg will shortly appear on the site.

The www.300online.ru site is an official information partner of the 300 Years of St. Petersburg International Press Centre, which was established with the support of Sergei Yastrzhembsky, the Russian President's assistant for publicizing preparations for St. Petersburg's 300th anniversary celebrations. The 300online.RU project is being carried out with support from the Presidential information department. (www.petersburgcity.com)

March 30th

Pulkovo airport will be closed from May 29 to June 1

From 8:00 p.m. on May 29 to 8:00 p.m. on June 1, 2003, the St. Petersburg airport will be closed for regular flights to and from other countries (including those of C.I.S.) and other Russian cities.

According to a telegram sent by the Center of Air Navigation Information of the Civil Aviation of the Russian Federation to all Russian and international airports, “Since many VIP airplanes will arrive in St. Petersburg, and since the landing place is limited”, “it is necessary to ensure flight safety and free movement of airplanes, so the Pulkovo Airport will be opened only for flights organized for official delegations”.

At that time, a great number of famous visitors will come to the city: only the number of arriving presidents of other countries (without considering the accompanying persons) will be about 50. (www.peterburgcity.com)

March 24th

Fast train line between St. Petersburg and Helsinki will probably be opened in 2008

The time to cover the distance will be two hours less. According to preliminary estimations the work will cost 450 million euros for Finnish party and about 10 billion rubles for the RF Railway Ministry, the Ministry news-service announces. The parties agreed to prepare a package of documents necessary to conduct international tenders for development and production of a rolling-stock. A procedure scheme to pass the trains through the border on their way to and from St. Petersburg and Helsinki is to be developed and approved by April 1. (RTN News)

Russia doesn't cancel flights to the Middle East

Large Russian airlines haven't cut down traffic volumes to Middle East countries because of the USA war actions against Iraq. According to the Novosti news agency quoting the Transaero press-service, none of the flights from Domodedovo airport was canceled. On March 20 a regular flight to Tel-Aviv scheduled for 10-40 a.m. from Moscow was carried out on time. To other countries of the region the airline carries out only charter flights. Because of war no order for a charter flight was made, so there was nothing to cancel. Routs of many flights to the Middle East run through territories of countries contiguous to Iraq including airspace over Turkey. Besides, an official from Aeroflot confirmed that from Sheremetevo airport none of the flights to countries of the Middle East was either canceled. Vnukovo airport administration also said that all flights to the Middle East are carried out in strict accordance with the schedule. (RTN News)

Flights to St. Petersburg from Germany and Czech arrive at Pulkovo-2 again

International flights from Berlin, Hanover, Dusseldorf, Hamburg, Munich and Frankfurt (Germany) and Prague (Czech) carried out by Pulkovo air-enterprise will, beginning from March 30, fly off from Pulkovo-2 terminal again. This news was released by the press-service of the company. Until now and from the time when reconstruction of the airport began, international flights to Germany, Czech and Bulgaria were transferred to Pulkovo-1 terminal. This allowed the company to avoid cutting down the number of flights and carrying capacity.(RTN News)

Peace Tower to be set up in St. Petersburg

The new monument will blend well in the Sennaya square architectural ensemble", - said Dmitry Lovkachyov, chief architect of Torgproject institute, in his interview to the Rosbalt correspondent. According to Lovkachyov there is no need to politicize the situation arisen round the project. He envisages that from all town-planning and design criteria this 17.5-meter Stella will be a good decorative element in the centre of the city. He says that there is a properly approved general plan to erect the monument on the square. Recall that in accordance with the Peace Tower project the column is to be set up on the Sennaya Square. It will be covered with slightly curved greenish screens on which the artist Klara Halter will engrave word "peace" in 32 languages and spelled with 14 alphabets. The project is a private one, not governmental, though it is a part of the French event package dedicated to the city anniversary. The committee on preparation to participat ion of the French party in the St. Petersburg jubilee is headed by Marec Halter, journalist and writer.(RTN News)

March 11th

A new series of stamps "History of Russian State" emitted in Russia

Stamps of the series came into postal circulation from March 4. A presentation party on the occasion took place in the Patriarch residence at the St. Daniil Monastery upon the bless of Alexi II, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia. According to the Novosti news agency, one of the stamps is dedicated to Saint Moscow Prince Daniil of the Orthodox confession of whom the 700-th anniversary the Russian Orthodox Church marks on March 17. Besides, the new series includes stamps dedicated to Yaroslav the Wise, Vladimir Monomachus and Ivan the Red. The name of the artist who created the series of stamps dedicated to Russian history is Leonid Zaitsev. The series is issued in 250 thousand copies. (RTN News)

V. Putin instituted a medal "In Memory of Saint-Petersburg Tercentenary"

In commemoration of the St. Petersburg jubilee the Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a decree of institution of the memorable medal. The medal is made of brass in the form a circle of 32 mm diameter. A laurelled profile effigy of Peter the Great (founder of the city) is on the face of the medal. (RTN News)

Discount system EURO-26 for young people to be put into operation in Russia by the St. Petersburg anniversary

According to the Youth Policy Committee of the St. Petersburg administration, the project is timed to the 300-th jubilee of the city. The main idea of introduction of the discount system "EURO-26 Youth Card" is a social support of young people through creation and development of a discount system and granting privileges to the youth in buying consumer goods and services on the territory of Russia, the ABN news agency reports. The "EURO-26 Youth Card" is an individual plastic discount card for young people aged under 26. The card is valid for a year and renewed annually at the holder's will until he/she reaches 26. A similar discount system is operated in 35 European countries and 43 cities of Russia. (RTN News)

Passport control in Pulkovo airport will take up about 30 seconds

After the reconstruction of Pulkovo airport in St. Petersburg has been completed the time a passenger spends to pass through a passport check-point will shorten up to 30 sec, the airport's press-service announces. The reconstruction is timed to the 300-th anniversary of the city. Thus, works on installation of new passenger registration bars began early last February. The number of the bars will be increased from 16 to 20. This is due to additional 200 sq m of the registration hall. Works on changing of old-type passport control cabins for new ones is still going on. This measure will also allow the airport administration to substantially reduce the passport check time. (RTN News)

Rock festival "Flood" in St. Petersburg
to be opened on March 15

A number of rock groups, such as "AuctIon", "Torba na Kruche", "Mit'ki", "Scang", will take part in the final gala concert of the youth rock festival. Group-winners will be awarded with special prizes - "Big-eared fishes". A news-conference dedicated to the event took place on March 4. A compact-disk with songs about Saint-Petersburg was represented at the news-conference. (RTN News)

February 3rd
First International Musical Festival "Seasons of the year" will be held in Shostakovich Philarmony in St.Petersburg from February 5th till February 8th. Some famous musicians are expected to come to the northern capital: Magnus Anderson (guitar) and Yorgan Peterson (saxophone) from Sweden, Elizabeth Vastengolts (piano) from Denmark.

January 28th
Festival of ice and snow sculpture "Europe-Asia" in Ekatherinburg has just started today and will be open for public till February 1st. Among the participants there are teams from Russia and CIS countries. The works are named in conjuction with the coming 280th anniversary of Ekatherinburg.